Before Draco could say anything else, Rose suddenly spoke up.
"Nicolas Flamel is a famous alchemist," she explained thoughtfully. "And according to the stories, he's lived for more than five hundred years."
Her tone carried obvious curiosity.
After all, Flamel was supposed to be living in seclusion somewhere far removed from public life. Yet Harry had just discovered that Hagrid removed something from Gringotts on the exact same day the vault was targeted.
Could the two really be connected?
Draco's eyes widened.
"Five hundred years?" he repeated in disbelief. "What is he, some kind of monster?"
Hermione looked equally stunned.
"That's impossible," she said immediately, though her voice lacked conviction. "No normal wizard could live that long..."
Harry, meanwhile, barely cared about the age itself.
His thoughts remained completely fixed on the Gringotts vault.
If Hagrid hadn't removed the package first...
Would the thieves have stolen it?
His curiosity only grew stronger.
"Hagrid," Harry asked seriously, "can't you tell us what was inside Vault 713?"
Hagrid looked deeply conflicted.
For a moment, it seemed as though he genuinely wanted to answer.
Then Dumbledore's instructions clearly resurfaced in his mind.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Hagrid muttered awkwardly. "I can't say. I already handed it over ter Sn—"
He froze instantly.
Then he slapped both hands over his mouth.
"...someone else," he finished weakly.
The panic on his face became almost comical.
Without waiting for another question, Hagrid immediately turned away.
"I'm gonna go check on the lamb," he announced loudly.
Then he marched straight toward Garcia and the house-elves with the desperate determination of a man fleeing interrogation.
Harry stared after him helplessly.
"Hagrid—!"
Unfortunately, Hagrid suddenly became extraordinarily deaf.
Hermione sighed softly.
"Well," she said reasonably, "if Hagrid says it's not our business, perhaps we shouldn't push him."
Even so, her curiosity was clearly burning just as fiercely as everyone else's.
Then she immediately turned back toward Rose.
"But how exactly did Nicolas Flamel supposedly live for five hundred years?"
Harry instantly abandoned any attempt to chase Hagrid.
Yes.
That was important too.
Draco also set aside his frustration about not knowing enough.
Originally, he had been annoyed that Rose knew more than he did. He was already planning a serious trip to the library tomorrow so Hermione wouldn't continue outperforming him academically.
But for now?
He could simply absorb information from Rose directly.
Convenient.
Nearby, Leo watched Harry's complete fascination with the mystery and found it mildly amusing.
Honestly, it was just a failed vault robbery.
The thieves hadn't even succeeded.
Was it really that interesting?
Before Rose could answer Hermione's question, Fang suddenly sprang upright.
The massive boarhound had been lying peacefully beside the roasting lamb moments earlier, but now his nose twitched sharply.
Then the dog's posture changed completely.
Fang lowered himself into a defensive crouch. His fur stood on end while a low growl rumbled from deep in his throat.
"Woof! Woof!"
Everyone immediately turned toward him.
Hagrid reacted fastest.
"What's wrong, Fang?"
In one swift motion, the half-giant grabbed the enormous crossbow hanging beside his hut door.
The mood around the fire changed instantly.
Even Ron stopped staring at the food.
Everyone followed Fang's line of sight toward the dark path leading from the castle.
Two figures slowly emerged from the darkness.
Before anyone could identify them properly, a familiar voice rang out.
"Fred," one voice announced dramatically, "look at this terrifying little beast."
"You're right, George," the other replied solemnly. "Absolutely horrifying."
One of them casually tossed a small round object into the air while continuing forward.
The moment Fang saw it, the huge dog let out a frightened yelp and immediately retreated behind Hagrid's legs.
Everyone stared.
Even Fang was terrified of the Weasley twins.
Fred and George exchanged smug looks before bursting into laughter.
"Look at him!" Fred wheezed. "We only tested one tiny prototype on him!"
George nodded proudly.
"Our latest invention is clearly a masterpiece."
Then both twins leaned around Hagrid and made exaggerated faces at Fang.
"Hagrid," George said innocently, "your dog's emotional resilience is deeply disappointing."
"What are you two doin' here?" Hagrid groaned immediately, lowering the crossbow while clutching his forehead.
Honestly, seeing the twins appear together caused him more stress than most magical creatures.
"Don't tell me yeh're sneakin' into the Forbidden Forest again."
Fred looked deeply offended.
"We would never."
George nodded.
"Not without proper preparation."
Hagrid already looked exhausted.
"I don't have time ter deal with the pair of yeh tonight. Off with yeh!"
Harry hurried forward.
"Hagrid, wait! They're invited!"
Draco blinked.
"They are?"
Leo stepped in smoothly before Hagrid could protest further.
"I invited them," he confirmed calmly.
Hagrid looked genuinely pained.
Apparently, discovering the twins were officially participating somehow made the situation worse instead of better.
Still, after a long sigh, he finally rehung the crossbow beside the door.
"Fine," he muttered. "But if either of yeh starts any nonsense tonight, yer both gone."
Fred and George immediately saluted.
"Perfectly behaved."
"Utterly trustworthy."
Even Fang looked unconvinced.
The instant Hagrid turned his back, both twins made exaggerated faces behind him like mischievous children.
Then they immediately sprinted toward Harry and Hermione.
"Quick game!" Fred announced.
"Guess who's who!" George added.
Harry stared helplessly at the identical twins.
Hermione narrowed her eyes analytically.
Neither of them had the slightest idea.
The twins looked delighted by their confusion.
Then they suddenly turned toward Leo instead.
"Alright then," Fred declared confidently.
"We prepared specially for this today," George added proudly. "Same hairstyle, same robes, same posture, same speech pattern—everything."
"And we're even standing still."
"Which is a tremendous sacrifice."
Leo looked at the two redheads calmly for several seconds.
Then he pointed.
"You're Fred," he said to the twin on the left.
"And you're George."
Both twins froze.
"...How?"
Leo smiled faintly.
"Fred's eyes kept drifting left while speaking. George maintained eye contact the entire time."
The twins looked horrified.
"That's terrifying."
"You're terrifying."
Their disappointment vanished almost instantly when the smell of roasting lamb finally reached them properly.
Both boys whipped around toward the fire pit at exactly the same speed.
"Merlin's beard..."
"That smells incredible."
Then they finally noticed Ron.
"Our beloved little brother!"
Before Ron could escape, both twins descended upon him simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the lamb stew finally finished simmering.
The rich aroma spreading through the clearing became almost unbearable.
And then—
A sharp cry echoed across the sky.
Everyone looked up instantly.
A magnificent scarlet-and-gold phoenix descended gracefully from above, its radiant feathers shimmering beautifully in the firelight.
"Fawkes?" Hagrid said in confusion.
The phoenix landed directly in front of Leo.
Then Fawkes lowered his head slightly.
A clear invitation.
Leo understood immediately.
Without hesitation, he quickly filled three bowls with lamb stew, sliced generous portions of roasted meat, added sauce, and arranged everything neatly onto a tray.
Then he looked back toward the others.
"Keep eating," he said with a smile. "I need to handle something quickly."
The next moment, flames erupted around him alongside Fawkes' brilliant wings.
Together, they vanished.
When the fire disappeared, Leo found himself standing inside the Headmaster's office.
....
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