"That's a lot better."
Half an hour later.
Ian emerged from the passage entrance of the abandoned restroom on the second floor, holding a few massive emeralds that weighed heavily in his hands. It took him quite a bit of effort and magic power to pry these things off the door.
He tidied his clothes.
Ian put away the gemstones and walked out of the abandoned restroom into the corridor.
"Earthquake! There was an earthquake!"
"There was an earthquake just now for quite a while!"
"Oh my god! Something so terrible happened and we still don't stop classes?"
...
Quite a few little wizards who should have been in class were gathered in the corridor, seeming to have collectively fled the classroom, whispering with lingering fears about their recent experiences.
Ian did not join them.
He went straight to the office of the Professor of Alchemy.
"Little Ian, did you feel the ground shaking just now?" Nicolas Flamel, who had no classes in the morning and was tinkering with an unfinished project, asked curiously upon seeing Ian come in.
"The other students all said it was an earthquake."
Ian replied with an unchanged expression.
"No, it was clearly the sound of something collapsing underground, not an earthquake." Nicolas Flamel stated with certainty, making a precise judgment.
"Ah? Really? Maybe somewhere hasn't been maintained for years." Ian averted his eyes a bit guiltily, as he had no idea why the chamber collapsed after he took a few gemstones.
It definitely had something to do with the unknown dangerous experiments Voldemort had conducted inside.
Yes.
He just happened to be unlucky.
That's what Ian thought.
He couldn't help but jot down another note about Old Brother Tom in his little notebook.
"Perhaps, but this isn't my problem to handle. Dumbledore should be the one responsible for Hogwarts." Nicolas Flamel glanced at Ian and didn't continue discussing the issue.
"What brings you to me?"
He noticed Ian's slightly damp robe.
"I'm looking for Dumbledore or Professor Lockhart. There's something wrong with Harry." Ian stated directly, having confirmed on the Living Map that both old men were not present.
Perhaps there were hidden Dumbledores or Grindelwalds from other times within the school, and Nicolas Flamel, who assisted with their time travel, should know best.
"Something wrong with Harry? Is it because of the remnant soul in Harry's forehead?" Nicolas Flamel was not surprised, indicating that Voldemort's Soul Artifact had not escaped the eyes of this great alchemist.
He had thoroughly studied Harry Potter's scar last night.
"Yes, I feel the remnant soul residing in Harry's forehead is very active, and I'm worried it's trying to possess Harry's body to complete its rebirth. Earlier this morning, I discovered..." Ian had nothing to hide and relayed his conversation and events with Harry.
After hearing his experience, Nicolas Flamel's brows furrowed slightly.
"Indeed, the remnant soul within Harry is unusually active, but despite the unique condition of this remnant soul, our Black Demon King completing his resurrection is no simple task."
"A Soul Artifact is a method to evade the God of Death; it is a mockery of the God of Death. Any Soul Artifact lingering in the human world requires extremely harsh conditions to bring a dead person back from death."
"It's absolutely not an operation that can be completed simply... For a soul to return, it requires using another soul to replace its position in the world of the dead."
"This is also a deception, an equivalent exchange. Therefore, as long as no one has died in the school, Harry's situation will not go towards the worst-case scenario."
Nicolas Flamel combined Ian's account with his own expertise and knowledge to make a judgment. How could the world's most formidable alchemist not have researched Soul Artifacts?
"What if the soul for exchange is Harry's soul?" Ian, never interested in Soul Artifacts, naturally had little understanding in this area.
"That's impossible; Harry's soul is too deeply intertwined with Voldemort's remnant soul. Unless Voldemort also abandons this Soul Artifact, he wouldn't dare use Harry's soul for such an operation." Nicolas Flamel believed Voldemort wouldn't do that, knowing there aren't many Soul Artifacts left.
"We always have to consider that possibility, right?" Ian was more cautious, thinking that the mindset of a madman like Voldemort was beyond the grasp of normal people.
"You're right; being sufficiently cautious can avoid many troubles, so I'll go to the hospital wing to check on Harry." With that, Nicolas Flamel put down what he was doing and stood up to put on his robe.
"Aren't you going to inform Dumbledore?"
Ian looked at the old man walking somewhat shakily, not because he didn't trust the old man's capabilities, but he trusted that Dumbledore could best use wisdom to deal with and see through Voldemort's schemes.
After all.
Dumbledore was equivalent to Jerry.
Both in strength and wisdom overcame Voldemort.
"He and his old friend aren't in the school right now; you could say the school only has some things he left behind, and these measures can't provide us or Harry with any substantial help."
"Perhaps that's why the trouble has arisen." Nicolas Flamel sighed and replied, feeling that Voldemort had deliberately chosen a good time to cause trouble.