Economic Collapse

"Tierra and Horace Slughorn's Philosopher's Stone seems to have a time limit," Harry said quietly, then told Hermione everything he had just been thinking.

"That makes a lot of sense." Hermione nodded thoughtfully, looking at Harry approvingly. "You've finally learned how to think, too."

"Wh-what, what do you mean I've finally learned how to think?" Harry's face reddened as he protested.

"Then the question is, when will Nicolas Flamel become a god?" Hermione stopped joking and pondered with a serious expression.

"What do you want to know that for?" Ron asked, holding a roasted chicken leg in each hand. "And didn't Tierra promise to help you make a Philosopher's Stone? Won't you be able to ask him then?"

"That's right!" Hermione froze for a moment, then slapped her forehead in sudden realization. "I can ask Tierra directly. How did I not think of that?"

Ron shrugged and continued gnawing on his chicken legs.

At breakfast the next day, letter after letter and gift after gift flew in through the windows of the Great Hall, raining down before their respective young witches and wizards—

Because Hogwarts had expanded its enrollment, causing a sharp increase in the number of students living at the school, Investigator Tierra and Professor Tierra had jointly proposed, after the first faculty seminar, abolishing the tradition of owls delivering mail in the dining hall. Instead, a mailroom had been specially opened beside the Owlery, where owls delivered letters and packages in bulk. Students serving detention, or those willing to take on work-study jobs, then used Summoning Charms or Sending Charms to deliver the mail to its owners.

The reform had worked extremely well and was widely welcomed and unanimously praised by teachers and students alike. At last, no one had to worry about a pale white blob of