Red flames blazed, and sparks drifted away.
The figures of Lucien and Dumbledore suddenly appeared in the Headmaster's Office.
Having brought the two back, Fawkes flapped its wings and settled into its nest for a nap.
"So, what did you think? You have now seen the magical core of Hogwarts with your own eyes."
Dumbledore sat in the large Headmaster's chair, conjuring tea and refreshments as he addressed Lucien, who sat opposite him.
Lucien pondered for a moment before pulling a colourful crystal sphere from his pocket. The emotional energy contained within had already reached the limit of its capacity.
Before the Basilisk incident, Dumbledore had promised to let him observe the magical core of Hogwarts.
Only after spending several days dealing with the aftermath and the reactions from all sides did the old man finally have the time to fulfil that promise.
"It is profound. The magical core has maintained the operation of this castle for a thousand years. The methods of the four founders are truly astonishing."
Lucien rotated the crystal sphere in his palm. After a brief pause, he spoke hesitantly.
"However, Headmaster, don't you think the emotional energy and Magic accumulated within the core are somewhat excessive?"
As long as young witches and wizards were active within the castle, the core automatically gathered the emotions and magical power they unconsciously released, using them to maintain Hogwarts' daily functions.
Yet according to Lucien's observations, the amount gathered far exceeded the amount consumed.
Assuming this had been the case for the past thousand years, the emotions and Magic accumulated within the core had become as vast as an ocean.
Using his authority as Headmaster, Dumbledore had extracted a portion of the emotional energy and given it to Lucien, completely filling the crystal sphere and satisfying the minimum requirement for refining a Philosopher's Stone.
Taking a sip of his sweetened black tea, Dumbledore relaxed comfortably in his chair. The old man had no intention of maintaining the dignity of a Headmaster in private. The past few days had exhausted him, and he was finally able to unwind.
Hearing Lucien's answer, Dumbledore chuckled.
"Are you thinking that leaving all those emotions and magical power sitting there is a waste and that they could be put to better use?"
Lucien scratched his cheek with his finger, slightly embarrassed that Dumbledore had guessed his thoughts so accurately.
For the creation of a Philosopher's Stone, the purest and most suitable material was the soul energy left behind when a human died.
But in the modern era, opportunities for gathering such materials on a large scale were virtually nonexistent.
The alternative proposed by Nicolas Flamel was to collect emotions. Emotions were the colours of the soul, and as long as they were purified and refined correctly, they could still serve as viable materials.
To be honest, discovering that Hogwarts concealed such an enormous reservoir of emotions had tempted Lucien greatly.
"Ahem, Headmaster, I did think so. But Hogwarts has existed for a thousand years. Surely others have had similar ideas, yet the emotions and Magic are still there. That suggests there must be some restrictions or difficulties involved."
Seeing that Lucien had quickly reached this conclusion, Dumbledore nodded gently and set down his teacup.
"First, emotions themselves. In truth, there are very few methods capable of utilising this particular material."
As soon as Dumbledore said this, Lucien realised it was true.
The methods Nicolas Flamel had taught him for collecting and purifying emotions were extraordinarily complicated, and he had never heard of anyone else treating emotions as a material.
"Second, the Magic. That magical power does not belong to any single individual. It consists of the Magic dissipated by generations of students, collected over centuries and preserved through the special properties of the core. It is far too mixed and impure."
Lucien's doubts were immediately resolved.
The purer magical power was, the better. And the number of sources contributing to the castle's core was simply absurd.
"Headmaster, does that mean the efficiency of utilising that magical power is extremely low, and maintaining the castle's daily functions, such as the moving staircases, is already its limit?"
"More or less."
Dumbledore swallowed a Chocolate Frog.
"And using it requires the authority of the Headmaster. If you become Headmaster in the future, you can give it a try."
Lucien could not help but break into a cold sweat.
The position of Headmaster still seemed very far away.
After chatting for a while, Dumbledore suddenly asked,
"By the way, Lucien, would you be interested in spending some time as an exchange student at another school?"
Another school? An exchange programme?
Does Hogwarts even have such a programme?
Seeing the confused expression on Lucien's face, Dumbledore began to explain:
"A few days ago, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Olympe Maxime, wrote to me. She hopes to join forces with Hogwarts and Durmstrang to hold a competition among the three schools, with the emphasis being on exchange. It can also be considered a warm-up for a much grander event..."
Lucien could not help being surprised.
An exchange competition?
This had never happened in the original story. Could it be that, despite the distance, the changes he had caused had somehow affected Beauxbatons?
The butterfly effect?
A tiny butterfly flapping its wings could create a storm thousands of miles away.
As for the grander event, Lucien immediately thought of the famous Triwizard Tournament.
The Goblet of Fire.
He found this unexpected exchange competition rather interesting, because its existence might well have been a distant consequence of his own actions.
"Headmaster, will the competition be held at Beauxbatons? And what are the events?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Indeed, it will be held at Beauxbatons. The scenery there is quite beautiful. As for the events themselves, they have not yet been finalised, but Headmistress Maxime's proposal is..."
As he spoke, Dumbledore looked at Lucien with a smile and slowly uttered a single word:
"Alchemy."
Alchemy?
Wouldn't that give Beauxbatons a considerable advantage?
Lucien remembered discussing the school with Nicolas Flamel. Thanks to Nicolas's support and sponsorship, Beauxbatons' Alchemy courses were far ahead of those of any other magical school in the world.
Still, if this exchange competition merely served to test the waters and pave the way for the future Triwizard Tournament, winning or losing was not especially important.
While Lucien was thinking, he noticed the expression on Dumbledore's face and suddenly had a premonition.
"Headmaster, you don't intend to send me, do you?"
Dumbledore spread his hands.
"Why not? Lucien, look at how many Alchemy items you've produced this term. It'll be easy for you. Besides, I distinctly noticed that you looked interested in the competition."
Lucien opened his mouth.
It suddenly dawned on him that today's conversation had all been leading up to this moment.
"Er, Headmaster, may I ask why you chose me?"
Although Lucien already had a rough idea. His Alchemy skills were reliable enough to put Dumbledore at ease, and young people ought to travel, broaden their horizons, and enjoy life.
"The reason?"
Dumbledore spoke matter-of-factly.
"I think it would be very amusing for Nicolas Flamel's student to represent Hogwarts and defeat everyone in an Alchemy competition held on Beauxbatons' home ground."
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