Nicholas Flamel sat beside his wife at their breakfast table, reading a letter he received with his morning mail.
Dear Mr. Flamel,
I'm sorry to have to let you know this in this way, but Professor Dumbledore has failed to protect your Philosopher's Stone.
Earlier this year, my friends and I figured out that that was what was being hidden on the 'Forbidden' third floor of the school, and earlier today, we realised that the man trying to steal it would make the attempt tonight, while the headmaster was out at the ministry.
Rather than wait until tonight to try to beat him to it, I decided to just make the attempt right then.
I should mention that the protections were wholly inadequate. I am a first year, and I and my two companions (also first years) were able to get passed all of the protections ourselves. The protections were as follows:
A cerberus, which we put to sleep with some music
A patch of Devil's Snare, which we repelled with some fire
Two locked doors, one of which opened to an Alohomora and the other to a key which was charmed to fly around the room; luckily, brooms were provided to aid in catching the key
A giant, animated chess set, which would let anyone pass if they beat it. Something a group of 11 and 12 years olds accomplished.
A troll. We knocked it out by levitating its own club into the air and dropping it on its head.
A logic puzzle
An enchanted mirror; it just gave it to us
I'm not sure why you decided to entrust your Stone to Professor Dumbledore's protection, but you might want to re-think that.
In any event, I have your Stone, now. Please feel free to drop by to pick it up, or, if you want, I could send it to you with my next letter.
Sorry for the inconvenience,
Hermione Granger
Flamel chuckled and passed the letter to his wife to read before pulling a piece of parchment to himself to write a response.
Miss Granger,
Thank you for you letter, but you have made a bit of an erroneous assumption. I did not give Albus that Stone to protect, but to study. Albus is my student in the Alchemical Arts, and, I feel, he has progressed to the point that he could begin to understand the construction of the Stone. This was to be his final exam, so to speak. I made that Stone specifically for him.
Rest assured that MY Stone, which I still have by the way, is perfectly safe. As a first year, you will not have learned much of magic yet, so you likely will not have learned of a magical protection called an Age Line. This is, in essence, a boundary across which no one may pass unless they meet a specific age qualification, and it is relatively absolute. I have set the age limit for the Age Line around my stone at five hundred years old; my wife and I are the only two people in the world that can pass it.
Still, I admit to being a bit disappointed in Albus's treatment of my gift to him. If he has just been using it as bait for a trap (which he clearly has) rather than studying it, then he must not have much interest in completing his learning under my tutelage.
So, it seems as though I am out a student! Would you be interested in taking his place?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Nicholas Flamel
P.S. Feel free to keep the stone. Do with it what you will.
