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In the corridor.
The conversation between Lirim and the little nightingale was inaudible to others.
While they were sharing their views about Ian, Ian had already arrived outside the office of the Alchemy professor, Nicolas Flamel. Compared to Arthur King's office, the entrance to Nicolas Flamel's office was much easier to find.
This was largely due to Nicolas Flamel's open-door attitude toward students' questions. He was not stingy with his time and willingly spent it even on those students who weren't particularly gifted.
His teaching philosophy was clearly very different from that of the previous Alchemy professor, Arthur King. Flamel didn't treat students differently based on their natural talent or tailor his teaching only for the gifted.
To be honest, that professor Arthur King, who suddenly resigned, had a rather polarizing reputation among the students. Among the less talented students, he was nowhere near as well-regarded as Nicolas Flamel.
In hindsight, it's understandable. Phrases like "You can't even do this?" or "Wasn't I being clear enough?" might come off as slightly mocking to those who weren't top of the class.
Ian could sympathize with Professor King, but in terms of dedication to teaching, Nicolas Flamel was undoubtedly much more conscientious and responsible.
"Knock knock knock~"
Standing before a door anyone could find, Ian gently knocked on the wooden door. He didn't hear any movement inside. Clearly, Nicolas Flamel wasn't conducting any dangerous experiments.
"Knock knock knock~"
After a moment of waiting with no response, Ian knocked again. He was confident Flamel wasn't asleep; people in their 70s or 80s hardly slept much anymore.
Let alone a centuries-old living fossil… This wasn't the first time Ian had visited Nicolas Flamel late at night, so he had a fairly good sense of Flamel's biological clock.
Sure enough, after knocking a few more times, he heard footsteps from inside. Soon, the footsteps approached the door, followed by the sound of someone turning the doorknob.
"Strange… Is the automatic door-opening mechanism broken?" Ian, who had been to Flamel's office many times, couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled by the thought.
The next moment,
The door opened.
And then he understood why. Of course, it wasn't because the mechanism was broken, but because the person inside the room wasn't Nicolas Flamel, who had access to it.
"Harry?"
Ian was momentarily stunned when he saw who opened the door. Yes, the figure standing in the doorway was none other than the Boy-Who-Lived, now sorted into Slytherin House.
His shiny, slightly messy black hair covered the scar on his forehead. Even after being sorted into Slytherin, Harry Potter still seemed uncomfortable with others praising his status as the Boy-Who-Lived.
"Good evening, Ian…" Harry Potter was also visibly surprised to see Ian, but quickly recovered, scratching the back of his head and greeting him.
"Good evening, Harry. Isn't it supposed to be curfew now? What are you doing in Professor Nicolas Flamel's office?" Ian gave Harry Potter a puzzled look as he asked this question.
The Boy-Who-Lived who didn't end up in Gryffindor seemed even more unruly than if he had. At this hour, even senior students wouldn't dare wander around the halls so casually.
Let alone tonight, yes, just tonight, the new students had only just enrolled… And yet, Ian had already seen two of these bold little students: one was standing right in front of him, Harry Potter, and the other was Lirim, whom he'd encountered earlier.
Even he had never been this recklessly bold!
Faced with Ian's skeptical gaze, Harry Potter's expression became increasingly awkward as he tried to explain his situation. "Actually, I clogged the toilet in the dorm, so I had to go use the restroom in the corridor. I was still, you know, having diarrhea."
"And that's where I ran into Professor Flamel. He said he was interested in my scar, so I followed him to his office to help him with some research." Harry clearly found this socially mortifying to talk about, and even after explaining, he couldn't help trying to defend himself a bit.
"I think I just ate too much at the feast," he added, emphasizing his situation, as if trying to clear his name by blaming his gut for the toilet disaster.
At the same time, his explanation also made it clear why a first-year student like him would appear in Professor Nicolas Flamel's office, which was usually reserved for upper-year students only.
"..."
To be honest, Ian couldn't care less about whether Harry Potter had blown up the bathroom. What he was truly curious about was Harry's scar, specifically, whether Master Nicolas Flamel had identified Harry as a Horcrux.
"What did Professor Flamel say?" Ian asked tentatively.
Harry Potter just shook his head with a confused look.
"Professor Flamel didn't say anything. Headmaster Dumbles called him away and told me to wait in his office." The Boy-Who-Lived's voice had a note of helplessness.
From his tone, it was obvious he had been waiting there for quite a while. Maybe he'd even fallen asleep, judging by how slow he was to answer the door… and the sleep crust still lingering in the corner of his eyes.
"Alright, I'll wait with you. I've also got something I want to consult our Alchemy professor about." At that, Ian finally stepped into Nicolas Flamel's office.
Compared to last term, the office had changed quite a bit.
The room was softly and warmly lit, thanks to the chandeliers embedded with faintly glowing gemstones that hung from the ceiling. The light illuminated the space without being harsh, cleverly preserving an air of mystery. The walls were covered with all kinds of alchemy manuscripts, ancient maps, and scrolls inscribed with strange symbols.
At the center of the room stood a massive oak desk, strewn with open books.
Between the pages were dried botanical specimens and fragments of glowing, mysterious minerals.
There was also an elegant set of alchemy equipment on the desk, a silver cauldron, a delicate test tube rack, and all manner of flasks and mortars. Some were aged and yellowed, others pristine and new, each piece hinting at Nicolas Flamel's recent research… Unfortunately, Ian couldn't make sense of most of it.
Even though his own alchemy skills weren't low, there was still a significant gap between him and Nicolas Flamel.
"Professor Flamel says you're his most outstanding student." After closing the door, Harry walked back with Ian to the center of the office.
There was a hint of curiosity in his tone.
"I do alright. I've got a bit of talent in alchemy," Ian replied modestly, not taking the chance to boast, because his attention had already been drawn to something else in the room.
(To Be Continued…)