The Elder Wand and the Crown

By the time Kyle came out of the Headmaster's Office, it was already evening.

The main reason was that Dumbledore couldn't wait to leave after obtaining the Ashes of Nirvana. According to Nicolas, he needed to prepare other things needed to craft the Philosopher's Stone.

Nicolas is going back too.

At his request, Kyle took him to the highest point in the school, the Astronomy Tower was held.

Nicolas walked slowly, with Kyle beside him, making their way towards the tower at a leisurely pace.

Occasionally, you'll run into one or two Gryffindor students in the corridor. They ask Kyle what he's doing and why he's walking so slowly, as if they haven't seen Nicolas at all.

"A little trick," Nicolas explained. "I don't want my name on tomorrow's paper; it'll save me a lot of trouble."

Kyle nodded in understanding.

The name Nicolas Flamel seems to possess a magical power; even a brief appearance by him can cause a sensation throughout the entire Wizarding World.

That's why he almost never leaves his estate, except perhaps for occasional trips to his old France manor or a Muggle beach far from the wizards.

The two continued walking, and as they turned the first corner, Kyle couldn't help but ask, "Nicolas, the help you mentioned earlier, was it the Ravenclaw's Diadem?"

"I knew you'd ask me that," Nicolas said. "The fragment of the soul in the Ravenclaw's Diadem has completely vanished, and like I said, it's as good as new."

I must say, it is truly the most perfect alchemical artifact I have ever seen; even I find it hard to resist the allure emanating from the Ravenclaw's Diadem ..."

"I thought you'd bring the Ravenclaw's Diadem this time," Kyle suddenly said. "After all, we agreed on a six-month timeframe."

"I did intend to bring it," Nicolas said, his expression unchanged. "But I overestimated my memory. However, we can't expect a man over six hundred years old to remember everything, can we?"

"And Tata, you should have reminded me before you left."

Tata, who was following behind, twitched her ears. "I'm sorry, Master. Tata will remember next time."

Tata then lowered her head and continued walking forward in silence.

What could he do? He was just a poor House-elf, and could only obediently accept the blame and put it on himself.

Kyle pursed his lips; he now somewhat understood why Nicolas had come all this way in person.

Here, he could forget to bring the Ravenclaw's Diadem, but if Kyle went to the manor to deliver it, there would be no excuse.

He truly lives up to his reputation as an old wizard who has lived for over six hundred years; he's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

"Alright, enough joking around," Nicolas said with a smile. "I can give you the Ravenclaw's Diadem anytime, but I don't recommend you touch it too early... The reason is... I don't know if you've heard the story of the Deathly Hallows."

"The Deathly Hallows from the Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Kyle replied, "I've read it. It's about the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak."

"Yes, that's it."

Nicolas said slowly, "Too much power can easily make people lose their minds, just like Antioch Peverell in the Tale of the Three Brothers Elder Wand. After gaining invincible power, he forgot the caution and vigilance he should have, so he was easily killed in the end."

"And the Ravenclaw's Diadem is another form of the Elder Wand. The wisdom it brings is irresistible, but once the Ravenclaw's Diadem is removed, one feels as if they have lost everything."

Without a strong enough heart, it's impossible to ever escape this sense of loss... unless you can wear it forever, or rather, be controlled by it."

Kyle listened silently for a long time before asking, "Nicolas, even you can be affected by the Ravenclaw's Diadem?"

"Oh, of course not."

Nicolas laughed and said, "I've experienced so much, so much that I can't even remember it all. They've constantly changed me, until today, six hundred years later, I can face everything with equanimity."

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the Astronomy Tower.

Upon reaching this point, Tata quickly stepped forward and, after searching the tower for a while, seemed to have found something.

He then pressed down hard with both hands.

It was as if a large "Invisibility Cloak" had been torn off, revealing a... airship hidden underneath.

That's right, it's an airship. It's about the size of Giant Squid from Black Lake, and the carriages underneath look like small boats upside down on the lake.

It's hard to imagine that such a large airship could land steadily on a small tower, but if you connect it with Nicolas Flamel, it suddenly seems to make sense.

"Here, take this." Nicolas took out a blank piece of parchment and handed it to Kyle.

"Once you've made up your mind, write to me. With this parchment, the owl can find the manor."

"Okay." Kyle accepted it, then thought for a moment and said, "But do you have any more parchment like this? One sheet might not be enough."

"What?" Nicolas was a little taken aback. "It's just a letter, it doesn't need to be too long."

Kyle didn't explain, he just silently took out a box.

Nicolas instinctively took a few steps forward.

He recognized it; it was the box he had given to Kyle, and the Ravenclaw's Diadem had also been taken from this box.

So what is it this time? He couldn't help but wonder. It couldn't be that Kyle had found another Horcrux, could it?

"Perfect timing. I was just thinking about going to Devon again sometime, but now I don't need to."

Kyle casually opened the box, inside which was a small, double-handled Hufflepuff's Cup and a jeweled Slytherin's Locket.

Upon seeing the contents of the box, Nicolas's lips twitched. "This couldn't be..."

"Ah, this is Hufflepuff's Cup, and this is Slytherin's Locket."

Kyle said, "They've all been turned into Horcrux now... If there are any leftover ancient Potions, could you help clean out the soul fragments from these two items as well?"

"After all, they were left behind by the Four Founders; it would be such a waste to turn them into Horcrux."

Nicolas couldn't help but rub her eyes.

In fact, the moment he opened the box, he already knew that both items inside were genuine.

But it was precisely because it was true that he found it hard to believe.

Of the items left behind by the Hogwarts Founders, Kyle managed to collect three by himself. How did he manage that...?

And Voldemort, how did he manage to turn all of these into Horcrux?

First the Ravenclaw's Diadem, now the Hufflepuff's Cup, the Slytherin's Locket —if Nicolas didn't know perfectly well that Sword of Gryffindor was at Hogwarts, safely kept inside the Sorting Hat in the Headmaster's Office, he would have suspected that the sword had also been turned into Horcrux.

"I can agree to that." Nicolas raised a finger and took the two items out of the box. "However, you may have to wait patiently for a while. At least until the Philosopher's Stone is completed, I may not have time."

"It's alright, I'm not in a hurry," Kyle said. "But Nicolas, do you know what these two things are for?"

Although the Hufflepuff's Cup and the Slytherin's Locket are not as famous as the Ravenclaw's Diadem, they still bear the names of the Four Founders, so they can't just be useless decorations, right?

"Speaking of which, I do know a little about this," Nicolas said after a moment of thought. "I saw them once, about a hundred years ago and again more than three hundred years ago."

"The Slytherin's Locket is a good container; the Sickle unaffected by any magical influences."

"And most importantly, it is extremely sturdy. If you don't know Parseltongue, even the Elder Wand with its incredible power cannot destroy this Slytherin's Locket."

"The Hufflepuff's Cup can always produce an endless supply of fine wine, with a sweet taste. I tasted it once and still remember it vividly. For a wizard who loves to drink, it is the most precious treasure."

"Wait, conjuring up wine from a glass? But Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration..." Kyle frowned in confusion, "Could it be a permanent Refilling Charm?"

"No, I'm sure it wasn't Refilling Charm or a transfer spell," Nicolas said. "Nobody knows where the wine in the glass came from, just as no one can explain why Ravenclaw's Diadem can increase the wearer's wisdom."

However, this also fits Helga Hufflepuff's character.

It is said that Hufflepuff spent her entire life brewing enough wine to fill the entire Hogwarts, but perhaps because everyone there was a wizard who was not yet of age, or perhaps because Godric was always sneaking a sip, she ended up putting all the wine into her favorite Hufflepuff's Cup.

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