The Time Had Come

"How was your Christmas, Albus?"

Perenelle smiled and welcomed his friend into the hall, saying, "If you'd like, you can come and spend Christmas with us."

"No, Perenelle. I think it's nice to stay at school and celebrate the holidays with everyone." Dumbledore looked around and, not seeing his old friend, asked, "Where's Nicholas?"

"He's in his study, chatting with Albert using Two-Way Mirror." Perenelle smiled kindly. "Nicholas always seems to enjoy chatting with Albert; he's truly a learned and intelligent boy."

"Yes, Albert is indeed very intelligent," Dumbledore said noncommittally.

He walked through the hall and appeared in front of the study door, where Nicholas was sitting at the desk, chatting with Albert in the Two-Way Mirror.

"Oh, Albus, you've come!"

When Nicholas heard footsteps, he looked up and saw Dumbledore entering the study. He smiled and greeted him.

"What were you talking about just now?" Dumbledore asked. "I haven't seen you laugh so happily in a long time."

"Yes, Albert told me some things about Hogwarts School," Nicholas said as he left the study with Dumbledore after finishing his conversation with Albert.

"What happened at school?" Dumbledore. "I'm quite curious what could make you so happy."

"Albert said that Professor Quirrell in your school is likely under the influence of Imperius Curse. He wanders around the Fourth Floor Forbidden Area Corridor whenever he has free time, seemingly looking for an opportunity to steal the Philosopher's Stone that you left in the school." Nicholas sat down on the sofa and told Dumbledore about the topic he and Albert had just been chatting about.

"Oh, Professor Quirrell!"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly. He knew, of course, that Professor Quirrell was suspicious, but he never expected that Professor Quirrell would be so easily seen through by his student.

"You told him about the Philosopher's Stone?" Dumbledore asked.

"No." Nicholas shook his head. "I asked him how he knew about the Philosopher's Stone. He said that Harry Potter accidentally wandered into the Forbidden Corridor last time, and then somehow asked him about me." Nicholas didn't hide anything and told Dumbledore what he knew. "Connecting this to what you left at the school, it's not hard to guess the truth. He even thinks that the Philosopher's Stone is fake."

"Mr. Anderson is indeed very clever," Dumbledore sigh. "I didn't expect him to deduce such a result with only this much information."

"Indeed very impressive, but your Professor Quirrell ..." Nicholas picked up the black tea that Perenelle had just brewed, took a sip, and shook his head with a smile.

"I heard that Professor Quirrell is so bothered by Albert's problems that he doesn't even want to see him anymore." Perenelle found this amusing.

"It seems you've already decided to choose him as your successor?" Dumbledore said, adding two sugar cubes to his tea and stirring.

Nicholas was indeed very concerned about Albert; otherwise, why would she have brought these things up with him? "It's always good to have someone inherit my knowledge. It would be truly regrettable if this knowledge were lost for no reason," Nicholas remarked.

He lived for hundreds of years and encountered many geniuses, but there were very few people who suited his tastes like Albert.

"You're going to give up the Philosopher's Stone?" Dumbledore slightly surprised. He had actually discussed giving up the Philosopher's Stone with Nicholas.

Nicholas said the timing was wrong.

"Nicholas and I have discussed it, and it's not bad to slowly walk towards death like ordinary people." Perenelle reached out and held Nicholas's hand. They had no fear of death. The two of them had lived too long. Their bodies were no longer young due to the erosion of time. Living too long also made them feel tired. Without their mutual dependence, they would not even be able to support each other through this long period of time.

"It's like finally being able to go to bed after a long day," Dumbledore murmured. Having lived for a century, he was no longer young, and his long life had also left him weary, but he couldn't stop to rest yet; there were things he needed to accomplish.

"Albus, you're not as old as us," Nicholas said with a smile. "It's a bit too early for you to be reflecting on these things."

"Albus, perhaps you should also consider retiring from the school and starting to enjoy your retirement," Perenelle said.

"The timing isn't right," Dumbledore said, shaking his head.

"Oh, I can probably guess why," Nicholas nodded. "However, you should leave this to the younger generation. The savior you chose is quite good."

"Harry needs more time," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "I need to help him share some of the burden while I'm still alive. Not everyone is as good as Mr. Anderson."

Regarding the Diadem, Dumbledore felt that Albert must have made some speculations. Perhaps he didn't know about Horcrux, but he must have thought about them.

"He was really good," Perenelle said. "He was a very confident and likable kid. I heard he invented a card game that he was going to give to us as Christmas presents. It's a pity his owl couldn't be delivered."

The LeMay Couple regarded Albert more as their grandson.

"I do know about that. Mr. Anderson mentioned it a long time ago." Dumbledore said after carefully recalling the matter when Perenelle brought it up. "This year, his Christmas present to me was a pair of Wool Socks."

"What a thoughtful child, isn't he?" Perenelle said with a smile. "You finally don't have to worry about receiving another pile of books this year."

"However, Albert's situation is similar to yours; he said he also received a bunch of books this year," Nicholas said with a smile, suddenly remembering something.

"It seems the time has come," Dumbledore murmured. "Is it because of Mr. Anderson?"

"Not entirely, I feel the time is right," Nicholas said. "We have indeed lived too long and experienced most of the world. Death is definitely an exception, just like you said, death is just another great adventure."

For Nicholas and his wife, with the Philosopher's Stone, they could have whatever they wanted—how much wealth they desired, how long they wanted to live. They didn't really have much left to cherish in this world.

The appearance of Voldemort and Albert completed the last two pieces of the puzzle, finally leading Nicholas to make a certain decision.

Of course, it doesn't mean that Nicholas and Perenelle were prepared to die immediately. They planned to store some Elixir of Life and then slowly face their final death like ordinary people.