Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Strategy and Cheat Codes
Chapter 5
Snape's absence was announced on Friday morning. Much to the delight of the Gryffindors, Potions classes were cancelled for the day. The Headmaster hoped that a substitute could be in place by the following Monday.
The details of the Potion Master's demise were not revealed to the student population, only that Snape would no longer be available to teach Potions. Of course, not telling the students meant that rumors were rampant school-wide within the hour.
At lunchtime on Friday, a frustrated Professor Dumbledore stood to address the Great Hall.
"As many of you have no doubt heard by now," he sighed, "Professor Snape met a terrible end last night. This was not - I repeat, NOT - at the hands of the troll that found its way into the castle. For reasons unknown to me, Professor Snape ventured into the forbidden corridor on the third floor. As I warned at start of term, that area is extremely dangerous and I again caution all students - and faculty," he paused to address the High Table, "to avoid the area at all costs. Thank you."
His speech concluded, the Headmaster sat down.
Silence reigned over the Great Hall for several moments and then all hell broke loose! The excited buzz of conversation filled the hall. Theories flew fast and furious up and down the Gryffindor table.
What was Snape doing there? What had he encountered? Whatever it was, why was it in the castle?
The guesses ranged from dragon to griffin to nundu to sphinx. The creature's presence was due to it being captured and held prisoner or, perhaps it had found its way into the castle, much as the troll had done, and stubbornly refused to leave. Or maybe it was injured and frightened and seeking refuge. Snape was attempting to either kill it or heal it or extract potions ingredients from it.
Those were the most popular theories.
"What do you think, Harry?" Neville whispered.
"Dragon!" I nodded confidently.
"Definitely a dragon!" Janie agreed.
"Wouldn't we be able to hear it?" Neville asked. "A dragon's roar is pretty loud, they say."
"Laryngitis!" Janie replied without hesitation. "Snape was bringing it a healing potion."
Neville slowly nodded his head as he considered her explanation.
I coughed at her story.
"Bit of a throat, there, Harry?" she smiled at me. "Maybe Snape left something behind for that!"
"I wonder who will teach Potions, now?" I hurriedly changed the topic.
"Madam Hooch?" Janie guessed. "She has the most free time."
"There go our flying lessons!" I groused.
That brought a smile to Neville's face.
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"We're supposed to pay Hagrid another visit this afternoon," Janie remembered as we entered the Gryffindor common room after lunch. She ran up to her room to fetch her heavy cloak. I did likewise and then she grabbed my hand again as we skipped off down the stairs and down the path to the groundskeeper's cottage. It was hard not to feel lighthearted. Snape was gone and we had gotten away clean! Three in a row! We were on a roll!
"Too bad about Perfesser Snape, eh...?" Hagrid began our visit with a veiled question. The careful way he said it seemed to imply that he was asking whether we were upset at Snape's untimely demise and whether we blamed Hagrid, somehow.
"He wasn't well-liked," Janie very deftly broadened the scope of the discussion to include more than just the two of us. "Except maybe among the Slytherins," she added.
"'Tweren't Fluffy's fault, ya know," Hagrid offered tentatively. "Snape had no business goin' in there..."
"Fluffy!?" I asked. "Who's Fluffy?"
"'E's me Cerberus, o' course - Perfesser Dumbledore asked me to keep 'im in the castle, there, guardin'... er - ferget I said that," Hagrid stopped abruptly.
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Janie smiled. "We figured that out ages ago, but don't worry - we won't tell anyone, Hagrid."
"Um, Hagrid, what's a Cerberus?" I asked, playing dumb. Hagrid was supposed to be a good source of information, but you had to keep him talking, according to The Book.
"'E's a dog with three heads, Harry," the half-giant smiled at me. He was probably delighted that I was showing an interest in one of his 'critters.' "With three heads, see, no one can get past 'im. One set o' eyes is always watchin' - unless he falls asleep, o' course," Hagrid frowned. "The li'l pup loves a lullaby," he chuckled. "Used ter hum to 'im when 'e's jus' a little tyke - ter get 'im ter go to sleep at night," Hagrid said fondly. "I sure hope Perfesser Dumbledore don't hold poor Fluffy responsible fer Snape's foolishness," he shook his head.
"Do you think that Snape was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Janie changed the subject before Hagrid realized what he'd just told us.
"How could he be? Perfesser Snape set up one o' the traps, himself! Lots of the perfessers did - Flitwick, Sprout, Quirrell, McGonagall - they each had a part in protectin' it. I was honored when Perfesser Dumbledore asked me ter lend 'em a hand," Hagrid beamed. "Great man, Perfesser Dumbledore. Even trusted me to go an' fetch it fer 'im."
"Wow!" Janie beamed at the half-giant. "You're really lucky! You're one of the few people who have actually held the real Philosopher's Stone!"
"Aww - 'tweren't much, really," Hagrid blushed. "Just a little red stone..."
"So you've actually seen the Stone, Hagrid!?" Janie said excitedly.
"Aye! Perfesser Dumbledore, 'e showed it to me. Unwrapped the little parcel, 'e did - just ter make sure it were the real thing - an' I were standin' right there watchin' 'im."
"How big was it?" I asked.
"'Twere just a little thing - no bigger'n the tip o' me thumb," Hagrid held up his thumb to show me. It was the size of a very large chicken egg.
"Was it polished? Did it sparkle?" Janie asked.
"Naw! It were an ugly little thing - like a gem in the rough. Blood red like a ruby, but not cut an' polished. Perfesser Dumbledore said that knockin' off the rough edges an' polishin' it up would-a ruined it. Takes the magic right out of it, he said. Smart man, Perfesser Dumbledore."
We chatted with Hagrid a while longer, pretending to nibble on our rock-cakes, before we called it a day.
"You be sure and come back fer another visit, you two - any time," the groundskeeper bid us both goodbye from his doorway.
"We will, Hagrid!" I assured him. "Goodbye!"
We headed straight for the library, of course. We learned that there were only two minerals that might pass for the Stone - ruby and red garnet. Ruby is a precious gemstone, and therefore ridiculously expensive. Garnet is only semi-precious and much more affordable.
Saturday morning at breakfast I pocketed the largest hard-boiled egg in the serving bowl. After breakfast we ducked into an unused classroom and locked the door behind us.
"How much?" Janie looked over to get a look at the reading on my brass potions scales - the ones we used for weighing our ingredients.
"About 48 drams," I replied, removing the egg from the scales.
"So if the Stone is more rectangular and the egg is ovoid..." her eyes searched the ceiling as she mentally performed the calculation. "Seventy-five drams, maybe, then double that just to be on the safe side," she concluded.
"Now all we have to do is find someplace where we can owl-order a 150-dram chunk of garnet," I muttered. "I wonder how much that will cost?"
"It doesn't have to be one big piece," Janie considered. "What if the 'Stone' somehow got accidentally smashed? Then there would be no way for Dumbledore to tell it was a fake."
"We wouldn't have to get the shape exactly right, either," I nodded in appreciation of her idea. "Wouldn't Flamel be mad, though? What will he do for his Elixir of Life?"
"I would imagine that he stockpiled a good quantity before he gave the Stone to Dumbledore. As for the future, Flamel made one Philosopher's Stone - he knows how to make another one."
"I wonder why he never made others," I mused.
"Why would he need to make more than one?" Janie looked at me oddly.
"To sell them?"
"He can make all the gold he wants. Why give that ability to others? It would devalue the gold market. Even if he made stones for friends, they might fall into unscrupulous hands - like Voldemort's."
"I suppose you're right," I shrugged.
"I'm always right!" Janie grinned back at me.
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It had been an inspired guess on Janie's part, although Madam Hooch would only be teaching Potions for years one through four. Dumbledore would teach the upper years - the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students. Sadly for Longbottom, that left Hooch with enough time for broom lessons, though with the colder weather setting in, those were becoming less frequent.
"Madam Hooch?" Janie paused to approach the conscripted Potions teacher after class.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"Mister Potter and I were both raised by Muggles and as such, we've heard many Muggle stories about alchemists of old. We've researched the subject in the library and haven't really found much, so we were hoping that you might give us a pass to the Restricted Section."
It was Janie's idea, so she was doing the talking. Snape would never have fallen for it, but Hooch might.
"Well, I'm really just getting acquainted with Potions again, I'm afraid," the instructor replied. "To be honest, I haven't opened a Potions book since I passed my O.W.L.s," she admitted sheepishly. "Professor Dumbledore has a Potions Mastery, though, I believe. Why don't I give you both a note to see him?"
We were disappointed but we had to agree - for appearances sake, if nothing else - and Janie reluctantly accepted the slip of parchment from Madam Hooch.
"That didn't go as well as planned," Janie fretted as we made our way up from the dungeons to the Great Hall for lunch.
"Yeah," I groused along with her. "What if Dumbledore asks a bunch of questions? Questions that we don't want to answer?"
"Maybe we can trick him into signing us a Restricted Section pass," she considered.
"Not bloody likely," I shook my head. "He's Dumbledore, after all."
"Language, Jamie!" Janie grinned over at me. "Just because he's bloody Dumbledore doesn't mean the man's infallible. We have all of lunch to come up with a story. We'll show him our note after lunch and ask to meet with him this afternoon."
I blinked at her. She'd just called me on my language, then turned around and cursed, herself!
"Well...?" she frowned. "Start thinking!"
By the time lunch was over, we'd decided on our plan - such as it was. We walked up to the High Table to hand the Headmaster our note.
"There is no time like the present!" he smiled genially. "Shall we?" he ushered us out of the Great Hall and led us to the seventh floor.
Dumbledore's office was awesome. The entrance was hidden behind a gargoyle that wouldn't let anyone past without a password. Then there were the revolving steps that should not have worked. I suspected they were an optical illusion - like an Escher drawing - and we never actually rose at all!
"Now, Miss Granger, Mister Potter - what can I do for you? Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered as he leaned back in his chair.
"No thank you," Janie and I said in unison, then turned to laugh at each other.
"Harry and I were both raised as Muggles, sir, and we've heard all sorts of Muggle stories about ancient alchemists. We've researched the subject in the library but we couldn't find much useful information," Janie repeated what she'd told Madam Hooch. "We read on your Chocolate Frog card that you studied alchemy and we were hoping that you might help us learn more," she finished the story we'd put together over lunch. Here in the Headmaster's office, our plan sounded rather more lame than when we'd conceived it.
Janie cleverly neglected to ask for a Restricted Section pass in hopes that the Headmaster would suggest it, himself. She's devious that way.
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore nodded sagely, a serene smile on his face. "You've no doubt heard of Nicolas Flamel, then, as he was mentioned on that very same card. I am delighted that a sweet tooth can have such a positive effect on your education."
I wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic, so I simply returned his smile.
"You see that book?" he pointed his wand at a nearby bookshelf and a very thick volume slid out part way. "That book is one of only two copies of Nicolas Flamel's personal journal. Mister Flamel is the authority on potions and alchemy, you see," he turned back to smile at us. "Would you like to see what he has to say on the subject?"
We both nodded dumbly. We weren't merely struck dumb - we were struck completely stupid!
"Why don't you fetch that book down here, then, and we'll have a look at it."
Something in the cagey way he said that screamed "Trick!" at me, (or possibly "Ferret!") but Janie came to her senses and jumped out of her chair to retrieve the book. She pulled it out and carried it over to the Headmaster's desk, one hand flat on the bottom of the tome and the other hand flat on top.
"Knowledge is Power, so they say," she addressed the Headmaster before she carefully set the book on his desk beside him.
"So they say," he smiled back. "Very insightful, Miss Granger, and this leads us to our first lesson in alchemy - powerful knowledge must be carefully guarded. Open the book, please - any page will do. Mister Potter - you should step around here and have a look, also."
Janie's eyes were wide as she reverently opened the book's cover and then carefully turned to a page a half-inch in.
What greeted my eyes was utter gibberish!
"What!?" I looked up at the Headmaster in confusion.
"You see," he chuckled, "the book is enchanted so that only its author can read it. You will find that most worthwhile books pertaining to alchemy are similarly charmed. The author will later key his apprentices into the charm so they can read it also.
"Mister Flamel gave me this as a backup copy for safe-keeping, but he did not entrust me with the knowledge it contains. That knowledge is indeed powerful and can therefore bring great misfortune to any who possess it. Nicolas knew this and did not wish to tempt me," Dumbledore smiled. "This journal contains six hundred years of knowledge and is charmed to automatically update itself whenever Nicolas writes in his copy, but alas, even I cannot read it."
"But..." I started, then faltered.
"Now, Madam Hooch tells me that the two of you had hoped that I might provide you with a pass to the library's Restricted Section?" Dumbledore paused for me to nod. Janie was still gaping at the open book in front of her. "That I shall do," he continued, "and I shall also provide you with the very short list of titles that are not charmed to be unreadable. They do not hold any valuable secrets, I'm afraid, but perhaps you might find them informative."
With that, the Headmaster flicked his wand and a slip of parchment appeared on his desk. I reached over to pick it up.
"If you will kindly return the book to its place, Miss Granger?" he smiled at Janie, bringing her out of her reverie.
"Er... Yes sir!" she gently closed the volume and hefted it back onto the shelf. "Thank you, sir," she smiled, nodding to the library pass in my hand.
"Yes, thank you sir," I added before we turned to leave.
"Well, that plan was a dud," I broke the silence as we made our way back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Are you kidding!" Janie paused her private reflections to turn to me. "It was bloody brilliant!! I used the 'Knowledge is Power' cheat on the book, Jamie! It's all here - in my head!" she tapped her temple.
"But it was unreadable - it was charmed to look like gibberish..."
"I didn't try to read the book, Jamie, I asked for the book's knowledge. The cheat didn't care about the writing - it transferred the information. The book could have been written in Chinese and it wouldn't have mattered a bit!" she informed me jubilantly.
"Bloody brilliant..." I stopped in the middle of the corridor to gape at her.
"Language, Mister Potter!" Janie tried to send a stern look my way but gave it up after only a moment. "Yes, bloody brilliant, indeed! " she laughed.
We clasped each other's hands and swinging our arms over our heads, we went skipping off down the corridor.
"Three left feet!" I gave the password and the Fat Lady opened for us. I waved my hand for Janie to enter, then noticed the slip of parchment I was still holding. "Er... maybe we should go to the library, instead," I said, showing the pass to Janie. "It might look odd, otherwise."
We headed off to the library, where we used our pass to the Restricted Section. That was merely for Dumbledore's benefit, of course.
"So you really know how to make a Philosopher's Stone?" I whispered once we were safely tucked away at a table in the corner. We didn't want Madam Pince or anyone else overhearing us.
"Yes!" Janie nodded excitedly. "But more importantly, I know how to use one!"
"Wicked! How?"
"Well, to turn base metals into gold, you simply touch the metal to the Stone. Only the minute part of the surface that actually touches turns to gold, however, so you must melt the lead or tin or zinc and add the Stone. All of the liquid metal that touches it turns to gold. Of course the gold will solidify around the Stone, encasing it in a thin layer of gold, keeping it from contacting any more of the base metal."
"That's pretty useless!" I frowned.
"The trick is," Janie went on, "to get the lead's temperature up to the melting point of gold, then the newly converted gold doesn't solidify. Flamel made a little iron basket with long iron handle that he could use to lower the Stone into the molten lead and stir it around, changing it all to gold before he pulled the Stone out."
"Sounds like a lot of bother," I considered. "We'd need to build a small foundry!"
"True," Janie acknowledged, "but it is gold, after all. Fortunately, making the Elixir of Life is much less difficult!"
"Really!?" I brightened.
"Yes! You simply brew a standard Wit-Sharpening Potion, but gently lower the Stone into the cauldron before adding the armadillo bile. Then instead of the incantation, 'Augendae Intellectus,' you use 'Augendae Vitae.' The Stone acts as a catalyst and rather than a potion to enhance intelligence, it produces a potion that enhances life - the Elixir of Life!"
"Awesome!" I grinned. "So when can we make our own Philosopher's Stone!?"
"Easier said than done," Janie shook her head. "The process takes several months and we'd need a containment spell to withstand the high pressures of the Concussus spells we'd have to fire into it every hour - twenty-four times per day for three months."
"Impossible!" I nearly shouted.
"Shh!" Janie held her finger to her lips. "Flamel used a series of Runes to create the containment chamber and time the Concussus spells that were automatically sent into it."
"Oh!" I nodded. "That's better!"
"But he didn't include the Runes in his journal. He made it sound as though anyone who knew Runes could do it, so he didn't go into detail."
"So we'll have to study Runes, first," I sighed. "Since we've both used our Knowledge is Power cheat, we'll actually have to study them. Nothing is ever easy!"
"Nothing worthwhile, at any rate," Janie gave me a look of disapproval. "Besides, making our own Philosopher's Stone is not our goal. We must somehow rescue Flamel's Stone and keep it from Voldemort. That's our quest - keep that fact in mind at all times."
"Let's look through The Book again," I said in dejection but not in defeat. "Maybe there's a cheat code we can use."
We spent the rest of the afternoon poring over The Book, but nothing looked promising.
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It was two weeks before we found a wizarding source for raw garnet. I was afraid we might have to go to Muggle London over the Christmas break, but Abel's Earth Treasures came through for us. A small bag of rough, red pebbles set us back twenty-two Galleons! I was glad that I'd pocketed some extra gold from my vault back in July.
We sorted through the garnet, separating out the bits that were not quite as pure in color. We'd only use those if we had to - after seeing exactly how big the real Stone was.
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Snape's absence was announced on Friday morning. Much to the delight of the Gryffindors, Potions classes were cancelled for the day. The Headmaster hoped that a substitute could be in place by the following Monday.
The details of the Potion Master's demise were not revealed to the student population, only that Snape would no longer be available to teach Potions. Of course, not telling the students meant that rumors were rampant school-wide within the hour.
At lunchtime on Friday, a frustrated Professor Dumbledore stood to address the Great Hall.
"As many of you have no doubt heard by now," he sighed, "Professor Snape met a terrible end last night. This was not - I repeat, NOT - at the hands of the troll that found its way into the castle. For reasons unknown to me, Professor Snape ventured into the forbidden corridor on the third floor. As I warned at start of term, that area is extremely dangerous and I again caution all students - and faculty," he paused to address the High Table, "to avoid the area at all costs. Thank you."
His speech concluded, the Headmaster sat down.
Silence reigned over the Great Hall for several moments and then all hell broke loose! The excited buzz of conversation filled the hall. Theories flew fast and furious up and down the Gryffindor table.
What was Snape doing there? What had he encountered? Whatever it was, why was it in the castle?
The guesses ranged from dragon to griffin to nundu to sphinx. The creature's presence was due to it being captured and held prisoner or, perhaps it had found its way into the castle, much as the troll had done, and stubbornly refused to leave. Or maybe it was injured and frightened and seeking refuge. Snape was attempting to either kill it or heal it or extract potions ingredients from it.
Those were the most popular theories.
"What do you think, Harry?" Neville whispered.
"Dragon!" I nodded confidently.
"Definitely a dragon!" Janie agreed.
"Wouldn't we be able to hear it?" Neville asked. "A dragon's roar is pretty loud, they say."
"Laryngitis!" Janie replied without hesitation. "Snape was bringing it a healing potion."
Neville slowly nodded his head as he considered her explanation.
I coughed at her story.
"Bit of a throat, there, Harry?" she smiled at me. "Maybe Snape left something behind for that!"
"I wonder who will teach Potions, now?" I hurriedly changed the topic.
"Madam Hooch?" Janie guessed. "She has the most free time."
"There go our flying lessons!" I groused.
That brought a smile to Neville's face.
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"We're supposed to pay Hagrid another visit this afternoon," Janie remembered as we entered the Gryffindor common room after lunch. She ran up to her room to fetch her heavy cloak. I did likewise and then she grabbed my hand again as we skipped off down the stairs and down the path to the groundskeeper's cottage. It was hard not to feel lighthearted. Snape was gone and we had gotten away clean! Three in a row! We were on a roll!
"Too bad about Perfesser Snape, eh...?" Hagrid began our visit with a veiled question. The careful way he said it seemed to imply that he was asking whether we were upset at Snape's untimely demise and whether we blamed Hagrid, somehow.
"He wasn't well-liked," Janie very deftly broadened the scope of the discussion to include more than just the two of us. "Except maybe among the Slytherins," she added.
"'Tweren't Fluffy's fault, ya know," Hagrid offered tentatively. "Snape had no business goin' in there..."
"Fluffy!?" I asked. "Who's Fluffy?"
"'E's me Cerberus, o' course - Perfesser Dumbledore asked me to keep 'im in the castle, there, guardin'... er - ferget I said that," Hagrid stopped abruptly.
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Janie smiled. "We figured that out ages ago, but don't worry - we won't tell anyone, Hagrid."
"Um, Hagrid, what's a Cerberus?" I asked, playing dumb. Hagrid was supposed to be a good source of information, but you had to keep him talking, according to The Book.
"'E's a dog with three heads, Harry," the half-giant smiled at me. He was probably delighted that I was showing an interest in one of his 'critters.' "With three heads, see, no one can get past 'im. One set o' eyes is always watchin' - unless he falls asleep, o' course," Hagrid frowned. "The li'l pup loves a lullaby," he chuckled. "Used ter hum to 'im when 'e's jus' a little tyke - ter get 'im ter go to sleep at night," Hagrid said fondly. "I sure hope Perfesser Dumbledore don't hold poor Fluffy responsible fer Snape's foolishness," he shook his head.
"Do you think that Snape was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Janie changed the subject before Hagrid realized what he'd just told us.
"How could he be? Perfesser Snape set up one o' the traps, himself! Lots of the perfessers did - Flitwick, Sprout, Quirrell, McGonagall - they each had a part in protectin' it. I was honored when Perfesser Dumbledore asked me ter lend 'em a hand," Hagrid beamed. "Great man, Perfesser Dumbledore. Even trusted me to go an' fetch it fer 'im."
"Wow!" Janie beamed at the half-giant. "You're really lucky! You're one of the few people who have actually held the real Philosopher's Stone!"
"Aww - 'tweren't much, really," Hagrid blushed. "Just a little red stone..."
"So you've actually seen the Stone, Hagrid!?" Janie said excitedly.
"Aye! Perfesser Dumbledore, 'e showed it to me. Unwrapped the little parcel, 'e did - just ter make sure it were the real thing - an' I were standin' right there watchin' 'im."
"How big was it?" I asked.
"'Twere just a little thing - no bigger'n the tip o' me thumb," Hagrid held up his thumb to show me. It was the size of a very large chicken egg.
"Was it polished? Did it sparkle?" Janie asked.
"Naw! It were an ugly little thing - like a gem in the rough. Blood red like a ruby, but not cut an' polished. Perfesser Dumbledore said that knockin' off the rough edges an' polishin' it up would-a ruined it. Takes the magic right out of it, he said. Smart man, Perfesser Dumbledore."
We chatted with Hagrid a while longer, pretending to nibble on our rock-cakes, before we called it a day.
"You be sure and come back fer another visit, you two - any time," the groundskeeper bid us both goodbye from his doorway.
"We will, Hagrid!" I assured him. "Goodbye!"
We headed straight for the library, of course. We learned that there were only two minerals that might pass for the Stone - ruby and red garnet. Ruby is a precious gemstone, and therefore ridiculously expensive. Garnet is only semi-precious and much more affordable.
Saturday morning at breakfast I pocketed the largest hard-boiled egg in the serving bowl. After breakfast we ducked into an unused classroom and locked the door behind us.
"How much?" Janie looked over to get a look at the reading on my brass potions scales - the ones we used for weighing our ingredients.
"About 48 drams," I replied, removing the egg from the scales.
"So if the Stone is more rectangular and the egg is ovoid..." her eyes searched the ceiling as she mentally performed the calculation. "Seventy-five drams, maybe, then double that just to be on the safe side," she concluded.
"Now all we have to do is find someplace where we can owl-order a 150-dram chunk of garnet," I muttered. "I wonder how much that will cost?"
"It doesn't have to be one big piece," Janie considered. "What if the 'Stone' somehow got accidentally smashed? Then there would be no way for Dumbledore to tell it was a fake."
"We wouldn't have to get the shape exactly right, either," I nodded in appreciation of her idea. "Wouldn't Flamel be mad, though? What will he do for his Elixir of Life?"
"I would imagine that he stockpiled a good quantity before he gave the Stone to Dumbledore. As for the future, Flamel made one Philosopher's Stone - he knows how to make another one."
"I wonder why he never made others," I mused.
"Why would he need to make more than one?" Janie looked at me oddly.
"To sell them?"
"He can make all the gold he wants. Why give that ability to others? It would devalue the gold market. Even if he made stones for friends, they might fall into unscrupulous hands - like Voldemort's."
"I suppose you're right," I shrugged.
"I'm always right!" Janie grinned back at me.
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It had been an inspired guess on Janie's part, although Madam Hooch would only be teaching Potions for years one through four. Dumbledore would teach the upper years - the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students. Sadly for Longbottom, that left Hooch with enough time for broom lessons, though with the colder weather setting in, those were becoming less frequent.
"Madam Hooch?" Janie paused to approach the conscripted Potions teacher after class.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"Mister Potter and I were both raised by Muggles and as such, we've heard many Muggle stories about alchemists of old. We've researched the subject in the library and haven't really found much, so we were hoping that you might give us a pass to the Restricted Section."
It was Janie's idea, so she was doing the talking. Snape would never have fallen for it, but Hooch might.
"Well, I'm really just getting acquainted with Potions again, I'm afraid," the instructor replied. "To be honest, I haven't opened a Potions book since I passed my O.W.L.s," she admitted sheepishly. "Professor Dumbledore has a Potions Mastery, though, I believe. Why don't I give you both a note to see him?"
We were disappointed but we had to agree - for appearances sake, if nothing else - and Janie reluctantly accepted the slip of parchment from Madam Hooch.
"That didn't go as well as planned," Janie fretted as we made our way up from the dungeons to the Great Hall for lunch.
"Yeah," I groused along with her. "What if Dumbledore asks a bunch of questions? Questions that we don't want to answer?"
"Maybe we can trick him into signing us a Restricted Section pass," she considered.
"Not bloody likely," I shook my head. "He's Dumbledore, after all."
"Language, Jamie!" Janie grinned over at me. "Just because he's bloody Dumbledore doesn't mean the man's infallible. We have all of lunch to come up with a story. We'll show him our note after lunch and ask to meet with him this afternoon."
I blinked at her. She'd just called me on my language, then turned around and cursed, herself!
"Well...?" she frowned. "Start thinking!"
By the time lunch was over, we'd decided on our plan - such as it was. We walked up to the High Table to hand the Headmaster our note.
"There is no time like the present!" he smiled genially. "Shall we?" he ushered us out of the Great Hall and led us to the seventh floor.
Dumbledore's office was awesome. The entrance was hidden behind a gargoyle that wouldn't let anyone past without a password. Then there were the revolving steps that should not have worked. I suspected they were an optical illusion - like an Escher drawing - and we never actually rose at all!
"Now, Miss Granger, Mister Potter - what can I do for you? Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered as he leaned back in his chair.
"No thank you," Janie and I said in unison, then turned to laugh at each other.
"Harry and I were both raised as Muggles, sir, and we've heard all sorts of Muggle stories about ancient alchemists. We've researched the subject in the library but we couldn't find much useful information," Janie repeated what she'd told Madam Hooch. "We read on your Chocolate Frog card that you studied alchemy and we were hoping that you might help us learn more," she finished the story we'd put together over lunch. Here in the Headmaster's office, our plan sounded rather more lame than when we'd conceived it.
Janie cleverly neglected to ask for a Restricted Section pass in hopes that the Headmaster would suggest it, himself. She's devious that way.
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore nodded sagely, a serene smile on his face. "You've no doubt heard of Nicolas Flamel, then, as he was mentioned on that very same card. I am delighted that a sweet tooth can have such a positive effect on your education."
I wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic, so I simply returned his smile.
"You see that book?" he pointed his wand at a nearby bookshelf and a very thick volume slid out part way. "That book is one of only two copies of Nicolas Flamel's personal journal. Mister Flamel is the authority on potions and alchemy, you see," he turned back to smile at us. "Would you like to see what he has to say on the subject?"
We both nodded dumbly. We weren't merely struck dumb - we were struck completely stupid!
"Why don't you fetch that book down here, then, and we'll have a look at it."
Something in the cagey way he said that screamed "Trick!" at me, (or possibly "Ferret!") but Janie came to her senses and jumped out of her chair to retrieve the book. She pulled it out and carried it over to the Headmaster's desk, one hand flat on the bottom of the tome and the other hand flat on top.
"Knowledge is Power, so they say," she addressed the Headmaster before she carefully set the book on his desk beside him.
"So they say," he smiled back. "Very insightful, Miss Granger, and this leads us to our first lesson in alchemy - powerful knowledge must be carefully guarded. Open the book, please - any page will do. Mister Potter - you should step around here and have a look, also."
Janie's eyes were wide as she reverently opened the book's cover and then carefully turned to a page a half-inch in.
What greeted my eyes was utter gibberish!
"What!?" I looked up at the Headmaster in confusion.
"You see," he chuckled, "the book is enchanted so that only its author can read it. You will find that most worthwhile books pertaining to alchemy are similarly charmed. The author will later key his apprentices into the charm so they can read it also.
"Mister Flamel gave me this as a backup copy for safe-keeping, but he did not entrust me with the knowledge it contains. That knowledge is indeed powerful and can therefore bring great misfortune to any who possess it. Nicolas knew this and did not wish to tempt me," Dumbledore smiled. "This journal contains six hundred years of knowledge and is charmed to automatically update itself whenever Nicolas writes in his copy, but alas, even I cannot read it."
"But..." I started, then faltered.
"Now, Madam Hooch tells me that the two of you had hoped that I might provide you with a pass to the library's Restricted Section?" Dumbledore paused for me to nod. Janie was still gaping at the open book in front of her. "That I shall do," he continued, "and I shall also provide you with the very short list of titles that are not charmed to be unreadable. They do not hold any valuable secrets, I'm afraid, but perhaps you might find them informative."
With that, the Headmaster flicked his wand and a slip of parchment appeared on his desk. I reached over to pick it up.
"If you will kindly return the book to its place, Miss Granger?" he smiled at Janie, bringing her out of her reverie.
"Er... Yes sir!" she gently closed the volume and hefted it back onto the shelf. "Thank you, sir," she smiled, nodding to the library pass in my hand.
"Yes, thank you sir," I added before we turned to leave.
"Well, that plan was a dud," I broke the silence as we made our way back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Are you kidding!" Janie paused her private reflections to turn to me. "It was bloody brilliant!! I used the 'Knowledge is Power' cheat on the book, Jamie! It's all here - in my head!" she tapped her temple.
"But it was unreadable - it was charmed to look like gibberish..."
"I didn't try to read the book, Jamie, I asked for the book's knowledge. The cheat didn't care about the writing - it transferred the information. The book could have been written in Chinese and it wouldn't have mattered a bit!" she informed me jubilantly.
"Bloody brilliant..." I stopped in the middle of the corridor to gape at her.
"Language, Mister Potter!" Janie tried to send a stern look my way but gave it up after only a moment. "Yes, bloody brilliant, indeed! " she laughed.
We clasped each other's hands and swinging our arms over our heads, we went skipping off down the corridor.
"Three left feet!" I gave the password and the Fat Lady opened for us. I waved my hand for Janie to enter, then noticed the slip of parchment I was still holding. "Er... maybe we should go to the library, instead," I said, showing the pass to Janie. "It might look odd, otherwise."
We headed off to the library, where we used our pass to the Restricted Section. That was merely for Dumbledore's benefit, of course.
"So you really know how to make a Philosopher's Stone?" I whispered once we were safely tucked away at a table in the corner. We didn't want Madam Pince or anyone else overhearing us.
"Yes!" Janie nodded excitedly. "But more importantly, I know how to use one!"
"Wicked! How?"
"Well, to turn base metals into gold, you simply touch the metal to the Stone. Only the minute part of the surface that actually touches turns to gold, however, so you must melt the lead or tin or zinc and add the Stone. All of the liquid metal that touches it turns to gold. Of course the gold will solidify around the Stone, encasing it in a thin layer of gold, keeping it from contacting any more of the base metal."
"That's pretty useless!" I frowned.
"The trick is," Janie went on, "to get the lead's temperature up to the melting point of gold, then the newly converted gold doesn't solidify. Flamel made a little iron basket with long iron handle that he could use to lower the Stone into the molten lead and stir it around, changing it all to gold before he pulled the Stone out."
"Sounds like a lot of bother," I considered. "We'd need to build a small foundry!"
"True," Janie acknowledged, "but it is gold, after all. Fortunately, making the Elixir of Life is much less difficult!"
"Really!?" I brightened.
"Yes! You simply brew a standard Wit-Sharpening Potion, but gently lower the Stone into the cauldron before adding the armadillo bile. Then instead of the incantation, 'Augendae Intellectus,' you use 'Augendae Vitae.' The Stone acts as a catalyst and rather than a potion to enhance intelligence, it produces a potion that enhances life - the Elixir of Life!"
"Awesome!" I grinned. "So when can we make our own Philosopher's Stone!?"
"Easier said than done," Janie shook her head. "The process takes several months and we'd need a containment spell to withstand the high pressures of the Concussus spells we'd have to fire into it every hour - twenty-four times per day for three months."
"Impossible!" I nearly shouted.
"Shh!" Janie held her finger to her lips. "Flamel used a series of Runes to create the containment chamber and time the Concussus spells that were automatically sent into it."
"Oh!" I nodded. "That's better!"
"But he didn't include the Runes in his journal. He made it sound as though anyone who knew Runes could do it, so he didn't go into detail."
"So we'll have to study Runes, first," I sighed. "Since we've both used our Knowledge is Power cheat, we'll actually have to study them. Nothing is ever easy!"
"Nothing worthwhile, at any rate," Janie gave me a look of disapproval. "Besides, making our own Philosopher's Stone is not our goal. We must somehow rescue Flamel's Stone and keep it from Voldemort. That's our quest - keep that fact in mind at all times."
"Let's look through The Book again," I said in dejection but not in defeat. "Maybe there's a cheat code we can use."
We spent the rest of the afternoon poring over The Book, but nothing looked promising.
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It was two weeks before we found a wizarding source for raw garnet. I was afraid we might have to go to Muggle London over the Christmas break, but Abel's Earth Treasures came through for us. A small bag of rough, red pebbles set us back twenty-two Galleons! I was glad that I'd pocketed some extra gold from my vault back in July.
We sorted through the garnet, separating out the bits that were not quite as pure in color. We'd only use those if we had to - after seeing exactly how big the real Stone was.
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