After battles and adventures, if there's no treasure or loot to celebrate with, it always feels like something's missing.
So, after a successful adventure, Allen happily pulled out the things he had prepared, self-made rewards, self-enjoyed prosperity.
As he placed the final metal ingot on the floor, the not-so-dim companions finally realized the ultimate goal of this journey: the precious Philosopher's Stone!
Before Voldemort could use it to become immortal, this magical stone had another legendary property, it was a touchstone!¹
The others didn't react much, but Ron was already over the moon. In his mind, the metal ingots on the floor had instantly transformed into huge bars of gold. By Merlin's beard, how many Galleons would this be worth?!
He eagerly looked at Allen, who quickly gestured that the loot wasn't just for him, being a shared reward for everyone, the gold would be divided into five parts, one for each person. After all, even if Dumbledore got mad about making gold, someone else would share the blame. That's why you don't hoard treasure alone.
With Allen's assurance, Ron's eyes sparkled, if Harry tried to protest later, Ron would be the strongest supporter of this gold-touching experiment.
Hermione also approved of this plan. Though not a money-lover, the thrill of earning a fortune after an adventure was irresistible.
So when Harry turned from the Mirror of Erised, the team had unanimously agreed to Allen's treasure plan.
To Allen's surprise, Harry didn't insist on not using the Philosopher's Stone, making all of Allen's persuasive arguments useless. Apparently, Harry, having read too many Muggle adventure stories, was perfectly fine enjoying treasure after an adventure.
"Then what are we waiting for, mate? Show us that magical stone! I can't wait to see the miracle!" Ron said, slapping Harry on the shoulder excitedly.
With a hint of anticipation, Harry pulled a bright red stone from his pocket, pulsing with immense magical energy.
Under the watchful eyes of the wizards, Harry carefully touched the magical stone to the nearest large metal ingot.
And… nothing happened.
The stone remained a stone, and the metal ingot remained a metal ingot.
Harry, stubborn, tried again. Still nothing.
"What's going on? I clearly saw myself take the Philosopher's Stone in the mirror!" Harry said anxiously. Why isn't this magical stone showing any of its powers now?
Even Allen was momentarily stumped. Harry couldn't have secretly swapped the Stone, so why was it inert?
Suddenly, Allen seemed to have an idea. He snatched the stone from Harry, examined it carefully, then tossed it back to the still-confused boy.
"Don't bother looking. It's fake!" Allen said decisively.
"Impossible! Look at its powerful magical aura, how can such a potent magical item be fake?" Ron questioned incredulously.
"Yeah, strong magical aura… do you remember how long Nicolas Flamel lived?"
"Six hundred sixty-five years! That was entirely thanks to the real Philosopher's Stone. So this stone, " Ron stopped mid-sentence.
He realized the truth, no matter how powerful a magical artifact, centuries of energy dispersion would eventually exhaust its magic. Even the Philosopher's Stone had limits. There was no doubt: this stone was fake.
Think about it: the Ravenclaw diadem was ugly, the Gryffindor hat was just a dirty sorting hat, the Resurrection Stone in the ring was unremarkable, the Invisibility Cloak had no aura, and the Elder Wand looked like a dead branch. Why should a bright red stone that Harry "found" appear so precious?
The answer was simple, it was always fake.
That's why all the security measures were so minimal, except for Hagrid's, which was somewhat reliable. Dumbledore never put the real Stone in!
Even during Halloween, the mirror didn't contain the real Stone, so why would anyone bother later? Even if Voldemort coveted it, a fake one would be enough to fool him. That's why even first-year students could pass the following challenges easily.
Dumbledore's planning didn't just fool Voldemort, it fooled Snape and even a small wizard named Allen…
Dumbledore's scheming was absolute, even if Voldemort got the stone, a tiny note saying "Dumbledore's fake version" might make him die choking on his own blood while brewing potions.
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The disappointed squad exchanged glances. The blow was hard, the treasure they worked so hard to get was fake.
Allen, at that moment, wished he could curse Dumbledore, may he too encounter a trap so ridiculous! If possible, may Merlin make it deadly enough that Dumbledore spits blood!
Soon, Allen let it go. He remembered something: didn't Dumbledore once risk his life for a fake Horcrux?
Justice. Absolute justice!
Harry, holding the fake stone sadly, asked, "Allen, what should we do with this stone?"
Allen turned, annoyed: "Keep it. There's still a lot of magic in it. I'll teach you to make a magical bomb, we'll blow up the school!!!"
"Huh?" Harry frowned, but he carefully pocketed the fake stone. Perhaps, after such a huge blow, Allen's random rant might actually come true…
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
That night, with Allen's help, the small wizards returned from the adventure. Exhausted and disappointed, they fell into a deep sleep, too much had happened during the day, their minds and bodies utterly drained.
Meanwhile, in that room, Professor Quirrell stared curiously at the metal ingots on the floor. What kind of magic is this? What is Dumbledore playing at now?
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
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