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Chapter 55

Dumbledore and McGonagall returned to Hogsmede Station in time to see Perenelle Flamel land a broom and administer a golden potion to a dead Nicholas Flamel. Dumbledore had seen that potion often enough to recognize it as the Elixir of Life. The only way for Perenelle to have had that was for her to have the Codex the past couple of weeks. Nicholas had been telling the truth to Dee.

The station was a wreck. Several buildings had pieces falling off. Some had collapsed completely. There were small fires burning everywhere and a couple of places where it looked like massive fires had raged. Small mounds and columns of earth spotted the previously flat landscape and a tree was down.

"Is it finished?" he asked Olivia as Nicholas began to stir, the Elixir bringing him new life. Olivia's answer was to break down in tears and fall into his arms.

"Albus!" Nicholas said. "Get back and scare Dee off then?" Albus looked at Nicholas and then down at Olivia. Nicholas' face sank and he began looking frantically around. "Where's Aiden?" he asked softly.

"He's dead," Olivia choked from the folds of Dumbledore's sleeves. He allowed her to get free. "He couldn't control his fire and I couldn't save him."

Nicholas sank to his knees like someone had punched him in the stomach. "No," he said. "No, please no."

"Minerva, would you please escort Professor Cummings and his wife to the Hospital Wing. I will visit with them both shortly," Dumbledore said. McGonagall nodded and the Flamels went without incident. Nicholas continued to mumble "No" silently.

Dumbledore bent down so his eyes were level with the tear-reddened eyes of Olivia. "Where did he burn?" he asked. Olivia pointed to one of the more charred areas of the station. Dumbledore walked over and searched the ground, thankful to find a pair of shoes. They were charred, but they were whole. He handed them to Olivia, who clutched them to her chest. "Come," he said. "We need to inform your mother."


Miss Ayers clutched her son's shoes in her hands, her face wrought with tearless grief when Nicholas Flamel entered the room. Dumbledore had summoned him to the Headmaster's Office because only he and Olivia had been there after the students left. Miss Ayers deserved answers and Dumbledore hoped that Flamel could offer some.

"Olivia says it was you who trained my son in illegal magic," Miss Ayers said.

"I trained him in different magic, but it's perfectly legal mam," Flamel responded.

"I want it known that Professor Cummings had my complete consent. The blame lies with me," Dumbledore said.

Flamel shook his head. "No, Albus. The blame is mine." He turned to face Miss Ayers. "Aiden was an extremely gifted young man, but he was not ready. I pushed him beyond his limits and I apologize. I have already tendered my resignation. I realize that probably isn't enough to bring closure, but it's the best I can do."

"Did you also teach Olivia?" Miss Ayers asked. From her tone, Flamel knew she already knew that answer, but he would have told her the truth anyway. There was no reason to hide things now.

Miss Ayers turned to Dumbledore. "I am shocked that you allowed experimental magic to be taught to your pupils without parental consent. You can be sure the Board of Governors will hear about this, Dumbledore." She turned to Flamel. "And you won't need to worry about teaching any more lies to my daughter. I'm pulling her from the school. Come Olivia." She began marching to the door, but stopped when she realized that no one had moved, including Olivia. "Olivia, we're leaving," she said.

"I'll be there in a moment," Olivia replied. "Please," she added when her mother began to respond.

Miss Ayers sighed. "Fine," she said. "Be at the base of these steps in five minutes."

"So that's it then?" she asked when the door had closed behind her mother. "We're not your precious Twins of Legend so it's out the door and off to kill another child!"

"It's not like that," Flamel said to the floor.

"Well that's bloody well what it looks like!" Olivia said. Flamel continued to look at the floor. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Olivia screamed.

"Only if you're willing to listen," Flamel said.

"And if I'm not?" Olivia asked.

"Then saying something will only make it worse," Flamel said.

Olivia took a deep breath and sat back down. "Fine, I'll listen," she said.

"Six hundred years ago, a man we only know as the Hook-Handed Man sold us the Codex and told Perenelle and I that we would be the ones to find the Twins of Legend. As you know, we have found many sets of twins with Gold and Silver auras over the past six hundred years. As you also know, none of these sets have had both survive. But understand one thing for me please. One day, the Twins of Legend will cross Perenelle and my path. If we miss them we doom the world. The risks are high each time we train a new set of twins. But the risks are higher if we don't."

"You could still stay for a little while to help me," Olivia said weakly.

Flamel sighed. "Perenelle was visited by the Hook-Handed Man," he said. "That was why you went on your trip to America. We cannot delay in heeding his instructions. Perenelle is on her way now. Please believe me when I say I wish it was different."

Olivia's mother yelled up from the bottom of the stairs. Olivia got up and walked to the door. "Do you even remember them?" she asked, turning around at the door.

Flamel looked back to the floor. "Every one," he said, though he wasn't sure she could hear him. Olivia turned and disappeared down the stairs.

"You were visited again?" Dumbledore asked after a short silence.

"Yes," Flamel said, sitting across the desk from Dumbledore.

"And?" Dumbledore asked.

"We have received an address in San Francisco. It's a small vacant retail space next to a laundromat. Perenelle has gone to purchase it and possibly the coffee shop across the street," Flamel said. "Since Aiden died we decided to move there at once. It will be a good place to catch our breath and determine how to do things differently next time."

Dumbledore chuckled for the first time since Easter. "You know, I used to think you had screwed up too," he said. "But time makes us all wiser. If you find the real Twins of Legend, it won't matter what you do or don't do; they'll succeed. And any pair that is not the Twins of Legend will fail even if you train them perfectly. It's how Legends and Prophecies work. What of Riddle? You mentioned she met with him."

"Perenelle assures me she killed him," Flamel said.

Dumbledore smiled again. "Nicholas, I know your wife is good," he said. "But it's not that easy to kill Tom Riddle."

Flamel began to get up. "Nicholas," Dumbledore said. "It's been nice to see you again. I'd surely like to keep in touch a bit better the next eighty years."

Flamel nodded. "Well, send an owl to Nick Flemming," he said. "It should get where it needs to go."

A/N: Earlier in the story I had Dee simply wake up after being hit with Avada Kedavra because he was immortal. Although Flamel is technically immortal, I was unsure if he would simply wake up like Dee did or if he needed some help. I went with help. Also, the Elixir never appears in either series so I took the best guess I could with a golden colored potion.