Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Dumbledore thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I'm in the same boat as you; I don't have enough time to oversee this. To accomplish your idea, the person must have sufficient ability and unwavering conviction, and I'm afraid I'm not the best choice."

Nicolas Flamel asked, "So who do you want to conduct this experiment?"

Dumbledore looked at Eric and smiled, "It's both far away and right in front of you."

Eric smiled helplessly.

When it comes to his own safety, he cannot trust anyone else in this matter.

He certainly has an inescapable responsibility in this position.

Chapter 126 Return

half a month later.

Eric sat in the small garden where he had first met Nicolas Flamel, unfolding the letters in his hand.

[Dear Eric, it is as if we are meeting in person.]

Hopefully you have finished the assignment Nico gave you.

I'm waiting for your return at Hogwarts, and I've prepared a surprise for you.

—Albus Dumbledore.

[P.S.: Please reply to me if you need me to pick you up.]

Eric folded the letter, put it back in his pocket, and got up to walk toward the manor house.

Today is the last day of the Christmas holiday.

It was also the day he was about to leave.

During these two weeks at Nicolas Flamel's estate, Eric once again came to realize the vastness and mystery of magic.

Just as previously agreed, Eric studied under Nicolas Flamel as a student.

The areas covered include souls, wands, various types of magic, and simple alchemy.

This is just one part of the skills that Nicolas Flamel excels at.

Eric did not agree to be the one to handle and manage Nicolas Flamel's funeral arrangements.

He was only kept by Nicolas Flamel as a student to whom he was taught.

In Nicolas Flamel's words, it was fate that Eric was able to obtain Ravenclaw's wand.

The wand that he had modified hundreds of years ago appeared before him at the last moment of his life, brought by Eric.

Even Nicolas Flamel had to marvel at the wonder of fate.

All Nicolas Flamel could do was offer this opportunity as a gift to Eric.

Eric did not reject this act of kindness.

In short, Eric was preparing for the soul extraction experiment that Nicolas Flamel had previously proposed.

Before that, he needs to further solidify his theoretical foundation.

At the estate, Eric spent more than fourteen hours a day reading ancient books, manuscripts, and experimental reports, and discussed these materials with Nicolas Flamel.

From these materials, Eric once again felt the depth of knowledge represented by Nicolas Flamel's long life.

Most of the ancient books and manuscripts that Eric saw were written by Nicolas Flamel himself.

This knowledge greatly benefited Eric.

Whether driven by concerns about the lingering Ravenclaw soul fragment within him or by a desire to realize Nicolas Flamel's ideas, Eric needs to absorb this knowledge as quickly as possible.

For the past two weeks, Eric has been like a sponge, absorbing everything Nicolas Flamel left him into his mind.

As for how far he can ultimately achieve, that depends on Eric himself.

Eric used his spare time to practice magic.

Nicolas Flamel's magical abilities were also considerable; his long life experience gave him time to devise all sorts of strange and unusual spells.

He was also proficient in some commonly used spells.

However, as his body aged, Nicolas Flamel's magic inevitably began to decline.

Now, all that remains of him is a head full of theoretical knowledge.

Fortunately, Eric had strong mental strength, and what Nicolas Flamel taught him was quite novel to him, but not difficult to understand.

In just two weeks, Eric seemed to have rediscovered the meaning of the word "magic".

Nicolas Flamel's arrangement coincided with Eric's earlier idea of ​​trying to transform souls.

When Eric captured the Dementor on the Hogwarts Express, he had the idea of ​​modifying its soul.

However, Eric's previous thought was only to remove the soul fragments from Harry's body.

Unexpectedly, things have come to this point, and he needs to solve his own problems first.

Eric entered the main building of the manor and was greeted by a house-elf, the same one who had led the way when Eric first entered the manor.

“Mr. Clapton,” Rick, the house-elf, bowed respectfully to Eric.

Eric keenly sensed something was amiss: "Where's Nicole?"

Nicolas Flamel and Eric had a somewhat age-gap friendship; after getting to know each other, they addressed each other by their first names.

Rick bowed again and said respectfully, "My master has left. He said he was too old and didn't want to face the sadness of parting again, so he instructed me to wait for you here."

Eric laughed and cursed, "That old man."

Rick pulled a suitcase from behind him and said, "This is something my master asked me to give to you, sir. He said it contains everything you need."

Eric accepted it speechlessly; naturally, this suitcase was also blessed with the Seamless Stretch spell.

Why are all these wizards so uncreative?

Eric chuckled at Rick, "I guess he's not planning on letting me know where he is, is he?"

Rick nodded with a smile.

“Okay.” Eric picked up the suitcase, walked out of the main building, and slowly turned back to say, “I’ll miss him…”

Sunlight streamed through the doorway, illuminating Eric's back and warming him comfortably.

Eric's expression was unusually complex, with a hint of forced composure.

More than anything, it was a sadness that welled up from the bottom of my heart.

Although they didn't spend much time together, Nicolas Flamel can be considered Eric's true guide to the wizarding world.

There were no conflicts of interest or secrets surrounding Nicolas Flamel.

All Eric could sense was a sincere and genuine heart.

Nicolas Flamel truly treated Eric as a student.

Rick the elf nodded seriously, indicating that he would definitely relay Eric's words.

The next second, Eric said goodbye to Rick, nodded, and turned around, as if a hook had caught Eric's stomach and pulled him backward.

Apparition was the first magic Eric learned from Nicolas Flamel.

With a loud bang, when Rick the elf looked up, Eric had already vanished.

Chapter 127 Dumbledore's Confession

Inside the headmaster's office, Dumbledore, who was buried in his work at the desk, seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up at the Hogwarts gate.

Suddenly, a magical power that he was very familiar with appeared there.

Apparition is not allowed within the Hogwarts Castle grounds, but it is not restricted outside of Hogwarts.

A moment later, the sound of Filch, the castle's caretaker, knocking came from outside the principal's room.

After Dumbledore opened the door, he saw Filch walk in and said, "Headmaster, as you instructed before, if Clapton returns, bring him to see you."

“Thank you, Filch. Let’s talk alone.” Dumbledore smiled as he looked at Eric, who emerged from behind Filch.

Filch looked at Eric and said, "Don't forget, you'll be in solitary confinement tomorrow."

Dumbledore said, "I will remind him."

After saying that, Filch left the principal's office on his own.

[Ding! Apparition spell proficiency increased: Apparition (Advanced)]

Ignoring the system's voice, Eric put down his suitcase and sat opposite Dumbledore.

When he went there, he needed Dumbledore to take him from Hogwarts to Paris.

When he returned, he was already able to teleport across continents on his own.

Only a wizard with powerful magic can do this.

Eric has neither magic nor hard work.

Having gone through this solo trip, and with constant practice at the manor, Eric quickly improved his Apparition technique, which he had learned from Nicolas Flamel, to an advanced level.

That's enough to be considered worthy of being called a member of the inner circle.

Dumbledore smiled and asked, "You must have gained a lot from this journey. How did you get back? With a Portkey?"

Eric said, "No, I apparated back myself."

"Apparition?" Dumbledore was startled; Nicolas Flamel was even more reckless than he had imagined.

Eric chuckled, "Professor, you're not trying to emphasize that only students aged 17 and over can learn Apparition, are you?"

Dumbledore said, "With your talent, learning Apparition is only a matter of time for you, and I have no intention of stopping you."

"Yeah, that's good."

Dumbledore stood up, walked to the shelf filled with magical items, and said, "Nicole sent me a letter a few days ago. He said he wanted to take advantage of his last days to travel around and see the world. He told us not to worry about him and that he would take care of everything."

Eric nodded, indicating that he understood: "He didn't give me a chance to say goodbye."

Dumbledore picked up an item from the shelf, walked back, placed it in front of Eric, and said, “Nicole’s achievements in the realm of the soul far surpass mine. After I obtained this diary, I have always wanted to find an opportunity to have him take a look at it for me. Now that you have become his student, this responsibility can only be taken over by you.”