Chapter 691: The Philosopher's Stone is Ripe (Edited)

The discussion finally ended without reaching an agreement. Harry was utterly tired of Occlumency, to the point that every time it was mentioned, it put him in a bad mood.

Seeing Harry with such a disgruntled expression, Tom decided not to say much more and left with Hermione, who also had something to say but didn't dare to.

At that moment, in the Riddle mansion in the remote village of Little Hangleton, Bellatrix was kneeling in front of Lord Voldemort, pleading for forgiveness.

"My lord, the Imperius Curse on Draco was undone, it was my incompetence."

"No, that doesn't matter." Voldemort was sitting by the window, looking out at the sky. The Riddle mansion had been completely renovated at this point, with old furniture replaced, the lawn manicured, and missing tiles repaired. Even the window panes were clean and shiny.

In the village, people were commenting that a generous tycoon had bought the Riddle mansion on the hill and renovated it. The bet on when the wealthy person would be scared off by the Riddle ghosts had become an eternal topic in the taverns.

Voldemort had a calm expression; Draco's failure didn't affect his mood. In fact, this mistake was within his plans.

How could Voldemort be angry about a planned failure? If he had to find something that bothered him, this mansion would be more suitable. Voldemort hated this place; it reminded him of his humble origins, but at the same time, he had to admit it was a good hiding place.

Did anyone here know about his connection to this place? Probably everyone who knew had already died, even if Dumbledore could find some clues, would he personally come to investigate?

Voldemort felt he wouldn't. But if he did, it would be even better, as he could clear his name here.

After gazing at the sky for a while, Voldemort noticed that Bellatrix was still kneeling on the floor. So he let her rise and joined her to meet the guests.

"People on both sides can't wait any longer." Voldemort got up from his chair and headed to the hall. There, he would meet with his allies to discuss the next steps.

He hated this process, but it seemed he had to endure it, as he needed those valuable high-quality pawns. He didn't fear facing Dumbledore one-on-one; that was Voldemort's mindset. What he needed was to keep the members of the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic busy.

Japan and the Trackers were perfect for playing that role.

Once everything was in place, Voldemort would carry out his own plan regarding his allies, as he had no intention of allowing the peculiar organization of the Trackers to continue existing in the world.

With malice in his heart, Voldemort began his negotiations...

...

Since the collar plan's failure, Voldemort seemed to have gone silent. Members of the Order of the Phoenix found no trace of Death Eater activity, and Draco didn't receive new missions either. It appeared that after his failure was discovered, the Death Eaters had set him aside, which was good news for Malfoy. Though abandoned, at least he didn't have to suffer between the sword and the wall between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters.

Astute observers knew that Voldemort was amassing power in the shadows, but there wasn't a very effective strategy to deal with him. Voldemort was like a cunning venomous snake, expert at hiding and lurking in the darkness.

He didn't initiate the attack, so the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic had difficulty finding his weaknesses. But fortunately, all signs indicated that he could no longer wait; his Japanese allies were very active, sending messengers to London often for requests, although Dumbledore always turned them down.

Dumbledore didn't want so many people entering Hogwarts, especially when this group of people had hidden intentions.

The days passed peacefully and calmly. Harry's newspaper thrived, and Fred and George's small business was also flourishing; everything was in place.

Tom received good news: his Philosopher's Stone had matured.

It was a bit mystical, but Tom truly felt that the Philosopher's Stone, which was hidden in the Texas slaughterhouse, had completed its "charge."

It was a kind of intuition.

Tom decided to trust his instincts and brought back from Texas a blood-red Philosopher's Stone the size of a thumb.

This small stone contained the essence of millions of cattle souls, and this essence would be enough to restore the lost vitality of Hermione due to the curse.

Seeing the Philosopher's Stone in his hand, Tom and Hermione found themselves in a dilemma: how to use it?

Everyone knew that the Philosopher's Stone could turn stones into gold and grant immortality, but no book about the Philosopher's Stone mentioned how to use it.

"Let's ask Professor Dumbledore," Hermione suggested while playing with the Philosopher's Stone but ultimately decided not to do anything rash.

She felt a strange sense of unreality: this small ruby stone was the famous Philosopher's Stone! And now it was casually in her hands?

When Tom had tossed her the stone that morning as if it were a peppermint candy, she hadn't initially realized it was a precious object that could extend her life.

The Philosopher's Stone was heavy in her hand, and Hermione could feel her boyfriend's love for her concentrated in the stone. She squeezed the stone tightly and thanked Tom.

It was a gift she could never repay.

Tom looked at her with his head tilted. At this moment, the girl held the Philosopher's Stone in one hand and clutched the hem of her robe with the other, with a shy expression on her face.

"Why are you thanking me? Just take good care of yourself in the future," Tom murmured as he brushed Hermione's cheek. "That's what I should do."

"Should you...?" Hermione was surprised and then turned and kissed him on the earlobe.

"Well, take this kiss as a reward for the Philosopher's Stone," she said.

Tom smiled. "Then I've truly gained a lot."

Both of them entered Dumbledore's office, but when they discovered how to use the Philosopher's Stone, they were both surprised.

"Grind... and take with water?" Tom repeated the words he had heard, looking at Dumbledore in disbelief.

Dumbledore nodded, confirming that what Tom had heard was true.

Tom was at a loss for words. So, this is how you use it? He might have believed it if it were a vitamin pill!

"If you don't mind, you don't even need water," Dumbledore added, making this alchemical achievement seem much more realistic, as if a Nobel laureate were using Uber to receive their award.

Hermione looked at the Philosopher's Stone on the desk and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Alright then, you two carry on with your business," Dumbledore said with a wave of his hand, dismissing them.

Looking at the empty table, Dumbledore sighed. He never imagined that in this life, he would see the Philosopher's Stone again.