On the workbench, two identical Philosopher's Stones lay side by side.
Nicolas Flamel froze.
"This..." Disbelief filled Nicolas Flamel's voice. "How could there be a second Philosopher's Stone in the world?"
Hermione blinked.
Sorry, but they're actually the same stone.
"Did you make this?" Nicolas Flamel abruptly raised his head.
"Not me." Hermione spun her lie without batting an eye. "It was a reclusive master of alchemy. I'm not at liberty to reveal his name."
"Where is he? Who is he? Tell me!" Nicolas Flamel seized Hermione's sleeve, his face alight with excitement. "I must meet this master! Someone who can create a second Philosopher's Stone-I must discuss alchemy with him in person!"
Hermione nearly lost her composure.
You've already met him.
"All right, all right, calm down." Hermione brushed him off casually. "Once you fix my Time-Turner, I'll introduce you. Don't worry, you can talk for as long as you like. He won't be going anywhere. You'll eat at the same table, sleep in the same bed, and see him every day when you look in the mirror."
Only then did Nicolas Flamel force down his wild delight, nodding repeatedly. "Good, it's a promise! With these two Philosopher's Stones, stabilizing the magical circuit won't be a problem at all."
"When can you fix it?" Hermione asked the question that mattered most to her.
The old man took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. "You've completely destroyed the Time-Turner's structure. Reconstructing the core runes requires extreme precision. I can't make any firm promises, but it will definitely be done within two months at the latest."
"However..." Nicolas Flamel pointed at the Time Stone. "You'll have to leave this here. I need time to extract the temporal energy inside it."
"No problem." Hermione agreed readily.
Once everything was settled,