"Precisely!" Nicholas laughed. "I accidentally created the first Philosopher's Stone when I was attempting to create a method to allow Squibs like myself and Perenelle to use magic. Having a magical tool with a pre-stored spell, like a wand that can cast a limited number of magical effects or a multi-use Talisman, was always my ultimate goal. I succeeded, somewhat. I created a crystalline substance that could 'absorb' a small number of spells, rituals, magical substances, or magical instructions into it, as well absorb magical energy to cast said stored spells at a later date. Once the stockpile of magical power is used up, the stone will crumble to dust, so you have to make a new one every so often, and then 'program' and charge it all over again."
"I see, I see, that's ingenious!" I murmured in praise. "Does the size of the stone matter for the number of spells it can store, as well as the amount of magical energy it can hold?"
"Yes. That amount is set at the stone's creation. A stone the size of one I gave Albus could hold a single spell of NEWT level or greater, and enough magical energy to make half a dozen doses of Elixir of Life or transmute three hundred kilograms of base matter like lead or iron into gold," Nicholas replied, pleased by my curiosity.
"Hmm… does the stone have to be red?" I asked after a moment, going off on a bit of a tangent. "Or is the color a result of the spell imbued into it? Perhaps it is related to the Rubedo stage of Alchemy?"
"The color of the stone relates to its purity. The darker the better. A perfect one will always be red," Nicholas stated. "I am unsure why it is, but perhaps it does have to do with the Rubedo stage itself. Though no other alchemical substances turn red out of the blue."
"That implies I could create 'impure' or lesser version to hold weaker spells. And is it possible to recharge the stone? Or put a new spell into it after creation?" I wondered.
"I never figured either of those things out, but I believe it is possible. I do know that creating the stone draws magical energy from the surroundings, so unless you do so near a Leyline or other potent source of magical power, the stone will be rather weak."
"What about other sources for power?" I asked. "I've been thinking about experimenting on a way to come up with a method to turn electricity into magical energy, and vice-versa. Could I potentially create a stone using non-traditional forms of energy?"
"Hmm, now that is an idea," Nicholas mused. "I know of a way to draw power out of a volcano to keep it from erupting, and it does so by turning the build-up of pressure and heat into raw magical energy, but the ritual simply diffuses it into the air instead of collecting it."
"That sounds amazing! I would love to see your notes on that," I said eagerly.
I went back and forth with Nicholas Flamel all night, discussing magic like the pair of fevered inventors we were. Even Perenelle joined in as well, as she was just as brilliant as her husband, though her focus lay more in the arts of healing and herbology than the runes, arithmancy, potions and of course Alchemy her husband focused on.
I learned a ton from both of them, and regretted that we couldn't continue on longer. But as soon as dawn began to creep in through the windows, Perenelle shuffled us off to bed to catch a little bit of rest.
As I staggered back into the hotel room, I snuggled up next to Delilah, a smile on my face. I could only hope that the next few days would be just as wonderful as this one had been.
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