Dumbledore's Test

Damon stepped onto the stone platform, looked at the Sorcerer's Stone embedded within it, and waved his wand.

The stone platform transformed into an upturned palm, gripping the magnificent red gemstone—yet nothing unusual happened.

Damon used Transfiguration again to create a tiny magical figure and had it step forward to remove the gemstone—still, nothing unusual happened.

Somewhat reassured, he maintained Protego and reached out for the legendary stone, closing his hand around it.

But the instant he touched it, he realized that this Sorcerer's Stone was fake.

The Sorcerer's Stone, the legendary stone said to turn ordinary matter into gold, had originated from the alchemical "Philosopher's Stone," a legendary treasure capable of creating miracles without regard for the principle of "equivalent exchange."

But the one in his hand was merely an enormous source of magical power, containing less than one-thousandth of a true Sorcerer's Stone's energy. Though it could be used, it was of little value. At the very least, Voldemort could never use so little energy to reconstruct his body.

Even this bit of energy was likely meant to deceive and lure Voldemort.

It seemed Dumbledore was even more cautious than Damon had imagined. The Sorcerer's Stone here was merely bait, and perhaps Damon himself might have been among those being hooked.

Damon returned the counterfeit Sorcerer's Stone to the platform, having no interest in using it. Such a tiny amount of energy was not worth the risk. Who knew what Dumbledore might assume if he learned Damon had taken the stone?

After thinking for a moment, he waved his wand again.

"Magical Order."

After separating the counterfeit stone back into its original arrangement, Damon left without hesitation.

After he was gone.

A tall figure slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner.

His hair was entirely white, and his azure eyes stared fixedly in the direction Damon had departed, his gaze as deep as still water.

Why had Damon appeared here? Could this child also be interested in the Sorcerer's Stone? No—anyone who was not interested in the Sorcerer's Stone would be abnormal.

Since he had triggered the arrangement, then at the very least, he was merely curious about the Sorcerer's Stone and had no intention of using it—not even for an instant.

But that instant alone was enough. Based solely on that, Dumbledore could determine that the child had not the slightest connection to the Death Eaters—though linking a twelve-year-old child to the Death Eaters was an utterly absurd thing to do.

But there was no helping it. Something even more absurd had happened not long ago—no one could have imagined that White's Transfiguration Law, which had stirred up such turmoil outside and prompted both the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic council to take major action, had come from a twelve-year-old child.

Once the next issue of Transfiguration Today was published, many wizards who had devoted their lives to Transfiguration would likely face the awkward prospect of having their understanding completely reshaped.

And regarding this child, there was only one final matter left for him to verify.

Compared with Damon, who had already confirmed whether the Sorcerer's Stone was real and had even played through the entire trial, the three children remained extremely nervous over the next few weeks.

Whenever they passed the corridor on the fourth floor, they would listen to see whether Fluffy was still growling softly inside. Snape strode briskly through the school all day, as ill-tempered as ever, which undoubtedly meant that the Sorcerer's Stone was still safe.

It was not until final exams drew near that Hermione finally lost her composure—although they still had ten weeks left.

She dragged Ron and Harry into intense revision, while Damon alone remained apart from them.

Inside Flitwick's office.

"Protego totalum."

Damon waved his wand steadily. Transparent currents of air spread through the entire office like liquid, wrapping everything in a layer of transparent film without missing a single spot.

"A perfect casting. You have finally solved the problem of being unable to fully cover your protected targets."

Professor Flitwick clapped enthusiastically for the finest student of the century before him.

Damon smiled and thanked him, showing no satisfaction with his achievement as he continued.

"Professor, may I begin learning the next spell from you?"

"Of course. What would you like to learn?"

"Apparition."

"...Damon, I am afraid that may be difficult." Professor Flitwick's face showed a troubled expression. "Only wizards and witches over the age of seventeen are permitted to learn Apparition. You are not old enough yet."

"Oh—can't an exception be made?"

Professor Flitwick shook his head. "Apparition is forbidden within the castle. Only when sixth-year students are learning it will the protective magic over one area be temporarily lifted for them to practice."

"Even if I taught you, you could only study the theory and would have no way to practice it. But I believe you must have already looked into the theoretical side yourself?"

"Besides, even if I secretly taught you, once you learned Apparition, you would still have to take an examination at the Ministry of Magic testing center and obtain a certificate. This spell is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. There is no way you could keep it hidden."

"So it seems I have no chance with this magic for the time being?"

Damon had not expected there to be so many restrictions on learning Apparition. It seemed impossible to learn it at school—he could only find another way.

Perhaps afraid Damon would be disappointed, Professor Flitwick immediately spread his hands in consolation.

"How about learning another advanced spell instead? For example, I could teach you the Patronus Charm. From then on, you would have your own Patronus!"

"Rather than that—Professor," Damon said, looking at Flitwick with earnestness, "could you teach me Occlumency?"

"Where did you learn of Occlumency? Ordinary wizards should not have access to such material."

Professor Flitwick was genuinely surprised. Then he recalled Dumbledore's request, and his expression became complicated.

"I can teach you, Damon. But do you know anything about Occlumency?"

"To be honest, I do not know much. I only know that once mastered, it can resist others probing into one's thoughts."

Professor Flitwick nodded, wrote him a permission slip, and said.

"This is my authorization. You can use it to borrow relevant books from the Restricted Section. I recommend two: Oblivion and Resistance: A Guide to Defending Against Memory Magic, and The Boundaries of Soul, Mind, and Magic. Once you have finished studying them, you may come find me again."

Damon thanked Professor Flitwick and headed straight for the Restricted Section with the slip.

Come to think of it, this was his first time here. He had previously been intent on building a solid foundation, believing that encountering profound spells too early would distract him and make him aim too high.

After Madam Pince verified his authorization and pointed him in the right direction, Damon went to Row X3 in Section B and found the two books he needed.

"Thud."

Just then, a book with a dark brown leather cover fell from nowhere, landing directly at Damon's feet.

Damon bent down to pick it up and casually turned it over, seeing its cover—elegant yet sinister purple patterns along both sides framing the title in the center.

"Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic"