After drinking the magic blood, John felt the whole world come into sharper focus.
It was as though tiny elements of magic flickered before his eyes from time to time. He could not actually see them, but he could sense their presence.
"The magic blood is more powerful than I expected."
John took out his wand and cast a small spell.
Flames burst forth and engulfed the basement. Startled, John only just managed to bring them under control.
"A Fire-Making Spell with the power of Fiendfyre."
Level 4 Incendio was terrifying. Wouldn't level 4 Fiendfyre turn the world upside down?
He felt an urge to level up his Fiendfyre, but thought better of it.
With level 3 magic control, he could barely handle level 4 Incendio. If he tried controlling Fiendfyre, he might burn the house down.
There were considerably fewer things in the basement now. Watson had already taken the chair that had turned into an owl upstairs to use as an ornament.
When Basil saw such a lifelike owl, he thought John was keeping other owls in the basement.
John had tried to turn the objects transformed by his rampaging magic back to normal, but every attempt had failed.
"The magical rampage brought out all my potential."
Apart from being unable to move, the animals were indistinguishable from real ones.
John felt that if he could maintain that state, he could put up a fight even against Voldemort.
Unfortunately, that state was something he could stumble into, not summon at will.
There was a creature in the Wizarding World called an Obscurus, which arose from young wizards whose magic ran out of control.
These creatures were extremely dangerous. A wizard who developed an Obscurus was called an Obscurial, and Obscurials generally did not live long.
He had heard that an Obscurial had once rampaged through New York, causing an incident that had nearly exposed the entire Wizarding World.
Fortunately, it had all been resolved in the end.
John needed to keep every use of magic blood under control, or he might become an Obscurial himself.
That would hardly be worth it.
After raising his alchemy to level 2, John found it much easier to work with, especially with the help of the Philosopher's Stone.
Taking out one of the nine badges he had made, John carefully inscribed a rune on it.
Thurisaz.
This rune had a reflective effect and also provided a small boost to luck.
Once the inscription was complete, a sheen of light flashed across the badge before it quickly returned to its ordinary appearance.
"Using the Philosopher's Stone and dragon blood as inscription ink works very well."
John nodded in satisfaction and pinned the badge to his chest.
The badge, which resembled a river of stars, lent him an air of mystery. He planned to save the remaining eight for other runes.
"John, someone's here to see you."
Mrs. Wick's gentle voice rang out, leaving John puzzled.
Someone had come to see him? Could it be Harry?
He tapped his wand against the tabletop, and the things laid out on it returned neatly to his trunk.
Once everything was done, John left the basement.
He had expected Harry, or perhaps one of his former classmates.
Instead, when he came upstairs, he saw an old man in pale purple wizard's robes, with half-moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose.
Dumbledore.
Dumbledore put on no airs as he looked around the house, occasionally making an appreciative remark.
When he saw the ornamental owl in particular, a knowing gleam flashed through his eyes.
"Professor Dumbledore."
John's heart tightened, and he hurried over.
Noticing his stiff manner, Dumbledore smiled. "Minerva was right. You have a real talent for Transfiguration, John."
Hearing this, John felt the embarrassment of someone caught red-handed.
The level of skill behind this Transfiguration surprised even Dumbledore. As a former Transfiguration professor, he could naturally tell that it surpassed what most people could achieve.
In his expert opinion, this owl alone would put many Aurors to shame.
With an inquisitive look in his eyes, Dumbledore wondered how John had done it.
"A few days ago, Harry received a warning letter from the Ministry of Magic's Improper Use of Magic Office. He felt terribly wronged."
Dumbledore blinked as he recalled Harry's reaction to the warning letter.
John pretended to know nothing about it, but still could not help nervously moving his wand farther behind him.
"Don't be nervous," Dumbledore said quietly. "Some clever wizards always have their own special methods. Harry will be fine. It was only a tiny warning."
As he spoke, he held up two fingers to show just how tiny it was.
That made John breathe a sigh of relief. Presumably, Harry's status as the Chosen One earned him certain privileges.
It seemed Dumbledore had come because of the commotion John had caused a few days earlier. John invited him to sit down.
Mrs. Wick brought over a cup of black tea and some freshly baked cookies.
"Absolutely wonderful."
Dumbledore took a bite of a cookie and immediately showered it with praise.
Seeing how much the old man enjoyed it, Mrs. Wick looked pleased as well.
After chatting for a while, Dumbledore came to the point.
"John, you've had the Philosopher's Stone for some time now."
John understood at once. He had come to ask for the Philosopher's Stone back.
Though reluctant to part with it, John obediently nodded. "Of course, Professor Dumbledore. I'll fetch it right away."
"No, no, John."
Seeing that he had misunderstood, Dumbledore waved a hand. "My old friend is in no hurry. The Philosopher's Stone has already been publicly declared destroyed. You can keep it for the rest of the holidays."
"Then what is this about?" John was baffled. If he had not come for the Philosopher's Stone, what had he come for?
Dumbledore gave a mysterious smile. "My old friend heard that a young wizard was very interested in alchemy, and he would like to meet him."
His old friend?
Nicolas Flamel!
John rose excitedly to his feet, and Dumbledore was not surprised by his reaction.
This was a living legend of alchemy, the only person in the world who had ever created a Philosopher's Stone.
Thinking of how his old friend had already prepared himself to welcome death, Dumbledore felt that perhaps he wanted to leave the Wizarding World a few more stories.
Yes, a successor might make a fine storyteller.
"John, if you have no other plans for the holidays, perhaps we could take a trip abroad. Provided your parents agree, of course."
Refuse?
Impossible!
John agreed almost without thinking.
If anyone could be called the true master of alchemy in this world, it had to be Nicolas Flamel.
John had not even finished his magic sword yet. How could he let this opportunity slip by?
After a discussion with his parents, Watson readily gave his approval, but Mrs. Wick was not so easily persuaded.
Hearing that he was going abroad made Mrs. Wick anxious.
Hurry up and help me.
That's my wife we're talking about.
So?
It'll cost you extra!
In the end, during their silent exchange of looks, John agreed to buy Watson Drooble's Best Blowing Gum and Chocolate Frogs, along with a whole host of other demands, including having Basil deliver letters to Watson's friends and getting Tom to perform at parties.
Mrs. Wick finally relented, though she insisted that he write home every week.
"If you dare not write home, I'll tell your uncles."
That was Mrs. Wick's threat to John. Thinking of his uncles, John felt it was an exceptionally vicious one.
Mrs. Wick was a Slav, and her brothers were the sort who wrestled bears shirtless in winter.
When John had visited his maternal grandfather at the age of five, he had seen his uncle subdue a brown bear until it was utterly docile.
To entertain their nephew, they had even planned to take John hunting in the mountains. If Mrs. Wick had not given them a scolding, John would probably have been a seasoned hunter by now.
After arranging a time with Dumbledore, John returned to the basement to pack.
There was not actually much to bring, but the Philosopher's Stone and his materials needed to be packed away carefully.
After playing fetch with a Frisbee with Tom, John saw that Dumbledore had changed his clothes.
On a whim, Dumbledore had decided he wanted to try a Muggle cruise ship.
What else could John do? It seemed his trip abroad by Portkey would have to wait until next time.
Before you continue