"Perhaps the other party wanted you to help him create a Horcrux or improve it!" Lin Mei speculated.
"Horcrux? You mean Voldemort has torn apart his soul and created one? Oh, this is truly bad news!" Nicolas Flamel exclaimed in shock.
In that moment, he finally understood why Voldemort had been relentlessly searching for him.
"Did you inform Dumbledore about this? If Voldemort has made a Horcrux, he will be virtually immortal unless all of them are destroyed!"
Lin Mei nodded. "I have warned him, and I believe he is working on a way to deal with Voldemort completely."
Nicolas Flamel nodded in agreement before stepping out of the secret chamber, leaving Lin Mei to his research.
As Lin Mei continued his studies, Christmas quietly arrived. With the help of Nicolas Flamel's owl, he sent small alchemy-crafted gifts to the professors and students at Hogwarts.
Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, two finely wrapped gift boxes rested on Dumbledore's desk—Christmas presents he had prepared for Lin Mei and Nicolas Flamel. After dispatching the gifts via owl, Dumbledore made his way to the Great Hall to oversee preparations for the evening's Christmas feast.
Unbeknownst to him, as the owl took flight, a black mist trailed silently behind it.
In the Great Hall, the long table reserved for professors and the headmaster had one noticeable absence—Professor Quirrell.
Dumbledore's sharp eyes narrowed the moment he arrived.
Quirrell had long been a person of interest, and now, he was missing.
"Professor Snape, do you know where Quirrell went today?" Dumbledore asked.
Snape shook his head. "It's Christmas, Headmaster. I've been preoccupied."
A sense of unease settled over Dumbledore. His expression turned grave. "Go check the door. I fear that this Christmas may turn out much like Halloween."
Without hesitation, Snape rose and strode out of the Great Hall toward the hidden chamber where the Philosopher's Stone was kept.
From the students' table, Harry Potter had been watching the exchange closely. He nudged Ron beside him. "Look! Snape just left. I bet he's heading for the secret chamber where the Philosopher's Stone is hidden!"
After weeks of piecing together clues, Harry and his friends had deduced that Hogwarts was guarding the legendary stone. And after overhearing that Snape had been injured by Hagrid's three-headed dog, Harry was convinced—Snape was after the stone.
"Harry, you're jumping to conclusions. Professor Snape isn't as bad as you think," Hermione countered.
Harry's stubbornness flared. "Hermione, you're always so rational, but sometimes intuition matters too! Snape's creepy demeanor screams 'villain.' I bet he's using Christmas as a cover to steal the stone!"
Ron hesitated, torn between his two friends. He didn't want to upset either of them.
After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Harry, I see your point, but Hermione's right. We can't judge someone just by their looks. Maybe we should follow him and see for ourselves?"
Hermione nodded. "That's reasonable. It'll satisfy your curiosity and ensure we don't wrongly accuse Professor Snape. But we have to be careful—I don't want to lose house points right before the semester ends!"
Reaching a consensus, the trio discreetly slipped out of the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, despite not celebrating Christmas, Lin Mei decided to take a break from his research and stepped out of the secret chamber.
"Come on, Lin Mei! It's Christmas! I bought a nice turkey—you're cooking it," Nicolas Flamel announced with a grin.
Over the past weeks, Lin Mei and Flamel had become familiar with each other. But above all, Flamel had been won over by Lin Mei's culinary skills.
After tasting Lin Mei's dishes—Kung Pao chicken, chicken stew with mushrooms, and more—Flamel found them vastly superior to the usual roasted meats he was accustomed to. Now, he couldn't imagine going back.
In fact, he had made a decision: once Lin Mei completed his studies in "The Taboos of Alchemy," he and his wife would retire to China to enjoy their remaining years.
However, before Lin Mei could even carry the ingredients to the kitchen, an ominous voice echoed in his mind.
"Lin Mei! Something's wrong. Many people are approaching, and their energy is filled with malice—it's sickening!"
Even without the warning, Lin Mei had already noticed the black smoke swirling outside. From within it, ghostly skulls shrieked, their eerie wails piercing the night.
"Hehehe...!"
Sharp laughter accompanied the approaching figures as the skulls began penetrating the manor's barriers.
"Lin Mei, come to me—these must be Death Eaters!" Nicolas Flamel said, his face dark with worry.
But how had they been found? Only three people knew about this location: himself, Lin Mei, and Dumbledore.
Had there been a betrayal?
Suddenly, Nicolas Flamel turned his head toward the two Christmas gifts resting on the living room table—not far away.
They were from Dumbledore.
Lin Mei followed Flamel's gaze, his mind racing. In an instant, he pieced it together.
One, two, three… four!
The swirling skulls coalesced into masked figures clad in black robes—four Death Eaters.
They positioned themselves at the four corners of the manor, subtly encircling Lin Mei and Flamel.
Then, an even more sinister presence swept in from outside.
A dense cloud of black smoke burst through the doors and windows, hurtling straight toward Lin Mei!
His eyes sharpened. In a blink, the casual clothes he wore morphed into a pristine white mage's robe.
Intricate magical patterns shimmered across the fabric, glowing with an unknown power.
Without hesitation, Lin Mei channeled his magic into the robe. A translucent blue barrier sprang to life, enveloping both him and Nicolas Flamel.
Bang! The barrier shattered under the force of the assault.
The black smoke hesitated for a fraction of a second—just enough time for Lin Mei to counter.
A flaming fist shot forward, smashing into the dark mass with explosive force.
"MMD, I dare you to keep acting tough!" Lin Mei sneered as he punched the entity clear out of the manor.
The remaining Death Eaters froze in shock.
Their leader had been sent flying in a single strike?
.. patreon Seasay