Everything seemed to have returned to normal.
However, Hermione, Harry, and Ron had taken on another task.
That was to find Nicolas Flamel.
But finding the name of a complete stranger in the vast sea of books in the library was practically impossible.
Based on her deductions, Hermione drew up a long reading list.
The moment Harry and Ron saw it, expressions of agony immediately appeared on their faces.
Yet they did not dare voice a single complaint, since Harry had been the one to bring this up first.
Brook chose to stay out of it.
He neither participated nor stopped them.
He let this Conan-less "Young Youngsters Detective Squad" make a fuss to their hearts' content.
At that moment, he was reading Dumbledore's notes while secretly stuffing Chinese Winter Jujubes into his mouth.
The freshly harvested Chinese Winter Jujubes were plump and round.
One bite, and they were crisp and sweet.
He ate them one after another, unable to stop.
Hermione sat beside Brook.
She had been searching for over half a month, yet had not found even the slightest clue about Nicolas Flamel.
The crunching sounds Brook made while eating Chinese Winter Jujubes constantly grated on her nerves.
She could feel her blood pressure rising sharply.
Hermione could no longer endure it and growled in a low voice, "Even if you're not helping, could you at least stop making so much noise?"
Brook looked at Hermione in surprise.
Was she on her period?
Why had she suddenly become so irritable?
But wasn't that a little early for Hermione's age?
"(⊙o⊙)... You still haven't found anything?"
"What do you think?" Hermione replied irritably.
Brook turned to Ron. "Ron, aren't you pure-blood?"
Ron was completely confused by the sudden question.
Why had the fire suddenly burned its way over to him?
He was pure-blood, that was true.
But did being pure-blood mean he had to know everyone?
What had he done to deserve this?
He pursed his lips miserably. "I am!"
"Then why don't you ask your dad?" Brook said as if it were only natural.
Since Nicolas Flamel was connected to Dumbledore, he definitely was not some unknown figure.
As a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, Mr. Weasley might very well know.
"That won't work! What if he finds out?" Ron asked worriedly.
Brook nearly rolled his eyes. "Is that thing top secret? Is this matter top secret? You're only asking for a name. What could Mr. Weasley possibly find out?"
Hermione, Harry, and Ron instantly felt awful.
It made so much sense that they could not refute it.
"Even if we take a step back," Brook continued.
"Mr. Weasley might guess something. But the young wizards at Hogwarts wouldn't know, right? Percy, the twins—you can ask them. What if they know?"
Ron felt even worse this time.
Asking those three older brothers of his was no better than asking his father.
As if she had springs under her, Hermione suddenly shot up, grabbed Brook by the neck, and shook him hard.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Brook only laughed happily. Hermione was not actually using any force. "You didn't ask me earlier!"
In the end, all four of them were successfully thrown out of the library by Madam Pince.
This was great. It made it much more convenient for Brook to eat dates.
"You two go back to the common room first. I'll go find the twins and Percy."
Worried that Ron might let something slip, Hermione decided to ask them herself.
Before Brook could even react, she had already rushed off like a whirlwind.
Brook seriously doubted whether she could find anyone successfully.
Sure enough, by the time Brook and the others returned to the common room,
they saw the twins chatting with their friends.
Percy, meanwhile, was in a corner, saying something to a younger wizard.
Hermione had indeed been unable to find a single one of them.
"You two wait for me," Brook said before walking straight toward the twins.
"Boss, you're here."
The twins immediately stood up and bowed respectfully when they saw Brook.
Their exaggerated posture made Brook suspect they had learned it from the House Elves.
The students around them also looked astonished.
Brook looked at the twins helplessly. "Can't you just call me Brook?"
The twins: →_→←_←
"Okay, Boss."
Brook: ╮(￣⊿￣)╭
"Do you know Nicolas Flamel?" Brook directly stated his purpose.
He did not care at all whether the young wizards around them might overhear.
Fred spoke first. "Of course! He's the greatest alchemy master, and one of our idols."
"A lot of the joke items we develop use alchemy. We've learned more from Nicolas Flamel than from what the professors teach us," George explained.
The moment Brook heard that, he had a clearer idea.
In any profession, anyone who reached the level of master would definitely leave their name in history.
And with "alchemy master" as a keyword, it would be much easier to search.
"If you say that, Professor McGonagall will be heartbroken."
George nervously glanced around, as though afraid Professor McGonagall might suddenly appear before them.
Then he resumed his grinning expression. "Did I say anything just now? Boss, are you hearing things?"
Fred asked curiously, "By the way, why are you asking about Nicolas Flamel?"
"I recently discovered that alchemical items were pretty interesting. And with Hagrid's situation... you know. So I thought I could get some for a collection. I saw Nicolas Flamel's name and decided to ask you two about him."
Brook casually made up an excuse.
Fred frowned. "His things aren't easy to buy. He hasn't produced anything in many years."
"He's over six hundred years old. He's been retired for more than four hundred years," George added.
"Over six hundred years old?" Brook was startled.
The average wizard lived for two hundred years, with only a few reaching two hundred and fifty.
Yet Nicolas Flamel had lived for more than six hundred years.
Was there something special about him?
"You actually didn't know? He's the maker of the one and only Philosopher's Stone."
"The Philosopher's Stone can not only turn metal into pure gold, but can also produce the Elixir of Life, allowing people to live forever."
The twins spoke in unison again. "It's simply the thing everyone wants most."
"It's that incredible?" Brook was equally amazed.
Since ancient times, extending one's lifespan had always been the unchanging pursuit of most people.
The thing Fluffy was guarding was probably the Philosopher's Stone.
Brook chatted with the twins about alchemy for a while longer before waving goodbye and leaving.
His knowledge of alchemy was limited to having merely heard about it.
He had even less actual interest in it.
The only reason he had talked so much with the twins was to make his lie sound more believable and avoid arousing their suspicions.
He came over to the small table where Harry and Ron sat. "You heard all that, right?"
"Won't that make them suspicious?" Harry asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. Sometimes, the more openly you say certain things, the less people care about them."
"So that means Snape... someone wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone."
Harry remembered that Brook did not agree with his guess, so he changed his wording.
"Don't mind me. Harry, say whatever you want. This is the Young Youngsters Detective Squad's business."
Brook waved his hand.
Ron scratched his head in confusion. "Youngsters Detective Squad?"
"Oh, that's the name I gave your team. YYDS for short," Brook explained with a smile.
Harry nodded.
It was a good name, especially the abbreviation. It sounded particularly imposing.
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