Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 69 An Unprecedented Invisibility Cloak

Double good news! The next morning, Daphne reported her findings to Rice.

"The Philosopher's Stone?! Are you sure?" Rhys was extremely shocked to hear that what Dumbledore had hidden was this thing.

The Philosopher's Stone, or Philosopher's Stone, is the pinnacle of alchemy—without exception. It's a skill that none of the four of them were able to master back then.

In any era, anyone who can forge the Philosopher's Stone will instantly become the greatest alchemist, even if they have no other prior achievements.

This is the most dazzling jewel in the crown of alchemy.

Many alchemists claim to be able to create Philosopher's Stones, but Nicolas Flamel is the only one who has actually proven to be able to create them.

Rice had previously considered searching for Nicolas Flamel when he had the time, but when he learned that Flamel had already gone into seclusion, he abandoned the idea. Finding a wizard who had decided to live in seclusion was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Knowing that Dumbledore had hidden the Philosopher's Stone in the castle, Rhys admitted he was somewhat tempted. He really wanted to get his hands on the legendary Philosopher's Stone and study it; maybe he could even reverse engineer it to figure out how it was made.

Rice wasn't just boasting; he genuinely had the confidence. If he could get his hands on a real Philosopher's Stone, he was certain he could make some progress in his research.

"That's the Philosopher's Stone, it grants immortality." A longing gleamed in Daphne's eyes: if she could get her hands on a Philosopher's Stone, her sister's illness could be cured.

The Philosopher's Stone can turn lead into gold and can be used to create an elixir of immortality, granting eternal life. However, for Daphne, the former's uses seem like a joke.

Gold? Do I really need that much?

"Immortality isn't a good thing. It only guarantees immortality, not anything else," Rice said calmly. In his eyes, both of the Philosopher's Stone's effects were unremarkable. He had plenty of gold and could achieve immortality himself; the Philosopher's Stone was only of research value to him.

Rice's intuition told him that immortality wasn't necessarily a good thing; it didn't promise eternal youth, did it? This thought was terrifying. A wizard who had taken the elixir of immortality made from the Philosopher's Stone might age indefinitely, but never die, until his flesh dried up, his soul withered, until living became a torment.

Rice has done some minor research on immortality. He is certain that all methods of immortality have drawbacks. The most common Horcruxes require splitting the soul, which would leave one with an eternal curse, losing the chance to become a ghost or embrace the afterlife. The potion he invented requires a thousand years of slumber, eventually turning one into a child of about ten years old, whose body becomes much more fragile, but the advantage is that there are no obvious side effects.

The "immortality" granted by the Philosopher's Stone must have drawbacks, but they have not yet been discovered by the world.

"Rice, would you like to explore the fourth-floor corridor? That's where the Philosopher's Stone is!" Daphne looked at Rice with expectant eyes. Like a hummingbird guiding travelers to gather nectar in the forest, she hoped to use Rice's power to gain some benefit, such as giving her sister a potion made from the Philosopher's Stone.

"I'm sorry, I have more important things to do." Rice refused Daphne's request amidst her disappointed gaze.

If Rice hadn't ventured deep into the fourth-floor corridor, he would have immediately gone there to explore; the Philosopher's Stone was one of the few alchemical artifacts that could pique his interest. But Rice had already explored it, going all the way to the end, and he knew there was no Philosopher's Stone inside.

"That Gryffindor Potter asked me if I wanted to go on an adventure in the castle tonight. What should I say? Should I say yes?" Daphne sighed softly and changed the subject. She decided to try her luck there herself someday; after all, the fourth-floor corridor was right there, and she wouldn't be going anywhere else.

The girl didn't consider whether Dumbledore had actually hidden the Philosopher's Stone there, or whether he would keep it hidden there forever. She simply assumed that the Philosopher's Stone would remain hidden in the corridor on the fourth floor of the castle, waiting for the right person to come along.

"Why not?" Rice countered, wanting to see what the invisibility cloak, described by Daphne as having "a water-like texture," actually looked like.

"Then I'll talk to him about it." Daphne's interest was rekindled.

As night fell, Rice and Daphne stood quietly at the basement entrance, waiting for Harry's arrival. To avoid any unnecessary disturbance, he cast a Disillusionment Charm on both of them.

"I want to learn this spell later." Recalling the unpleasant memories of that night, Daphne decided to learn the Disappearance Charm from Rice. That way, even without an invisibility cloak, she wouldn't be afraid of being discovered by Filch—wait, why didn't she ask her father to buy her an invisibility cloak as a birthday present?

"Can."

Daphne was still contemplating whether to ask her father to send her an invisibility cloak. However, after simulating a conversation between the two of them, she dismissed the idea: if she asked for an invisibility cloak, her father, unless he was stupid, would definitely guess her purpose. How could he possibly allow her to sneak out of the dormitory at night? She should just stick to learning the Disillusionment Charm; it's more practical than an invisibility cloak.

Standing still, Rice, who was feeling a little sleepy, suddenly squinted: although he couldn't see, he could still vaguely sense the presence of people.

For those who are highly sensitive to magic, the invisibility cloak has limited effect, but with the development of modern magic education, such people are becoming increasingly rare.

Rice focused his magic into his eyes and looked at the place that made him feel strange. Then two balls of magic appeared in his field of vision. At the same time, a hushed conversation reached his and Daphne's ears.

"Do you think that Greengrass might be like Malfoy, agreeing on the surface but secretly betraying Filch..." Ron's voice made Daphne clench her fists.

"Daphne isn't like that," Harry whispered in defense of Daphne. He simply believed that someone who disliked Malfoy couldn't be a bad person.

Just then, Rice lifted the illusion spell from him and Daphne, and their sudden appearance startled Harry and Ron.

"Rice, what are you doing here?" Harry lifted his Invisibility Cloak, somewhat surprised. He had only invited Daphne.

"We caught her spacing out outside the lounge," Rice made up a flimsy excuse to get away with it.

Daphne raised her fist at Ron: "Weasley, how dare you compare me to Malfoy?!"

Ron chuckled sheepishly: Oh no, I've been caught talking behind people's backs.

He quickly changed the subject, saying to Rice, "Did you just use an illusion charm?"

"No, I used a trick, borrowing an alchemical artifact." Rice didn't want to reveal too much in front of the two young wizards.

After the four chatted for a while, Rice casually mentioned that he wanted to see Harry's invisibility cloak. This was a perfectly normal request, and Harry generously handed him the cloak.

The moment Rice received the invisibility cloak, he sensed its extraordinary nature.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)