A Conversation with Dumbledore

Feeling the almost inexhaustible magical power contained within the Philosopher's Stone in his hand, Bell was extremely satisfied. The Philosopher's Stone was even better than he had anticipated, and with it, Bell's plan could officially begin.

Of course, there's still one last step: obtaining the Philosopher's Stone! Not just the one in front of us, but a single Philosopher's Stone is far from enough to satisfy Bell's needs.

Bell took out his Personal Terminal and dialed his father's number. Unexpectedly, the call was connected very quickly.

"Hey? Bell? Why are you video calling me so late? Did something important happen?"

William's image appeared on the screen, indicating that he was probably already in bed and ready to sleep.

"Yes, I need you to contact Mr. Nicolas Flamel for me, as soon as possible! I hope to visit him during the summer vacation."

Bell glanced at the corner of the screen and continued, "Also, I prefer my sister and don't really like my brother."

Clang!

William's Personal Terminal flew out of his hand, and he was kicked to the floor by Elena. Bell waited for a while before William, clutching his back, got up from the ground and picked up his Personal Terminal.

"Ahem." William coughed twice tactically. "What do you want with Nicolas Flamel?"

Bell held the Philosopher's Stone up to the screen and waved it around.

"Let's talk about the Philosopher's Stone. This is very important, and if possible, I hope to see Mr. Flamel on the first day of summer vacation!"

"Okay, I'll get in touch with Nicolas Flamel as soon as possible. By the way, Bell, where are you now? The image behind you doesn't look like you're in your dorm room," William asked, puzzled.

He was very curious about what had happened. Where did Bell's Philosopher's Stone come from? Were there so many good things in Hogwarts? How come he hadn't noticed them when he was in school?

Are you sure you want to hear it now?

Bell raised an eyebrow. His father was really brave, didn't he know what kind of occasion this was? He was sure that if his father dared to listen now, he would probably be living in a tent in the garden for a month.

"Forehead..."

William glanced back.

"Okay, let's talk about it next time. You should also go to bed early, staying up late can stunt your growth. Also, be careful, and let me know if you need anything."

After saying that, William hung up the communication without waiting for Bell's reply.

"Mr. Menethil, can you tell me what you want to do with the Philosopher's Stone?"

Suddenly, Dumbledore's voice came from the side. He was standing next to Harry, smiling as he watched Bell.

Bell had no idea when Dumbledore had appeared there. However, he knew that Dumbledore would definitely appear, so he was not surprised, but just a little emotional. It seemed that he still had a lot to learn!

"That's Trade Secret, Professor, I'm sorry I can't tell you," Bell shrugged, casually brushing it off.

"... Okay, let's change the subject then."

Dumbledore clearly had no intention of probing further. However, Bell would have felt much more comfortable if he hadn't kept his sharp gaze fixed on Bell.

"This isn't the time for students to be out, so can you tell me why you're here?"

Bell gave Dumbledore a look that said, "Are you kidding me?!" and then looked at Harry lying on the ground.

Your double standards are too good!

However, Dumbledore perfectly demonstrated to Bell that his 100-plus years of life hadn't been wasted. Facing Bell's gaze, Dumbledore didn't even flinch, his face remaining completely expressionless.

"Fine, if you're strong, then you're right."

Left with no other option, Bell could only start making things up.

"Actually, it's like this, Professor. The final exams are finally over today, and I'm so excited! You know, when people are excited, they always like to do things they don't usually do. So, I couldn't sleep last night, so I sneaked out of the common room. While wandering aimlessly around the castle, I overheard someone talking, but I couldn't see anyone. Out of curiosity, I secretly followed the sound, and then I was surprised to find that someone was wearing Invisibility Cloak."

"I find these people very suspicious. Their behavior reminds me of that Troll that ran into the castle the night before Halloween. Could it be that someone is trying to smuggle something dangerous into the castle again?! As a member of Hogwarts, I cannot turn a blind eye to this, so I decided to thwart their plans! But now it seems I misunderstood? Oh dear, I'm so sorry."

(≧≦)ゞ

Bell tried to get away with being cute.

Hearing Bell's reason, which even a ghost wouldn't believe, Dumbledore chuckled. Perhaps he just liked this kind of half-hearted stuff? After all, none of the plans he devised himself were ever truly heartfelt.

"I'm glad you care so much about the school. When I was at Hogwarts, I always wanted to be a hero, and I would sneak out alone at night many times to try and catch any bad guys..."

"..."

Seeing Dumbledore looking so engrossed in conversation that he could talk until tomorrow morning, Bell didn't want to spend the whole night in this shabby room reminiscing about his youth with a grumpy old man.

Bell coughed lightly twice.

"Professor, perhaps Harry needs to be checked out at the Hospital Wing? Oh, and by the way, I saw Ron and Neville both faint earlier; it would be best to have Madam Pomfrey examine them as well?"

"Oh, right! Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Menethil. People get more forgetful as they get older. It's getting late; you should go back and rest. Just like your father said, you're at a stage of rapid growth and need plenty of sleep. So, before you go back, could you please return the Philosopher's Stone to me?"

"Professor Dumbledore, although I know it's unlikely, I still want to ask, could you give me this Philosopher's Stone?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Menethil. This Philosopher's Stone does not belong to me. I'm merely holding it for Nicolas temporarily; I have no right to give it to anyone."

Bell shrugged nonchalantly and tossed the Philosopher's Stone to Dumbledore. He hadn't expected to get the Philosopher's Stone from Dumbledore anyway. After all, he wasn't Dumbledore's darling—little Harry —so he wasn't disappointed.

After that, Dumbledore didn't make things difficult for Bell. After watching Bell walk towards Ravenclaw's dormitory, he took Harry, Ron, and Neville to the Hospital Wing.