Chapter 24: Nicolas Flamel

After seeing Hermione's strange look towards Professor Eisen, Ron whispered in Harry's ear, "What's wrong with Hermione?"

"I don't know, maybe she admires the professor," Harry nodded, giving Ron a different look.

"Harry, Ron, what are you talking about?" Although Eisen's senses were twice as good as normal, he didn't hear what they were saying since their voices were too low.

"Uh—well—Professor Eisen, Ron and I were talking about the magic you used earlier. How did those three playing cards appear? Did you conjure them?" Harry, the savior, was quick-witted and immediately found a perfectly legitimate excuse after Eisen asked.

"Oh, I was just about to explain that," Eisen seemed to have an idea as he heard Harry's question, and with a thought, three pre-made storage rings appeared in his hand.

"You know the Undetectable Extension Charm, right?" Eisen placed the three rings in front of them and asked.

"Yes, my family has a trunk and a tent with the Undetectable Extension Charm," Ron answered Eisen's question first, but he didn't understand how it related to Harry's previous question.

"This charm can expand the interior space of a container, making the space inside a trunk as big as a room, so you can carry more things when traveling," Hermione and Harry still looked confused, so Ron explained further.

"Could it be?" Hermione glanced at the three rings on Eisen's hands and the ones in front of them, her expression filled with delight.

"Precisely. These three rings have a hollow part expanded by the Undetectable Extension Charm, so they can be called storage rings. As for the playing cards I conjured earlier, I simply took them from these storage rings," Eisen nodded, confirming Hermione's suspicion and revealing the secret behind the conjured cards.

"And these storage rings?" Seemingly anticipating something, Hermione, Harry, and Ron exchanged glances, their faces showing expectation.

"Correct. These three storage rings are my Christmas gifts for you. This way, you'll find it much easier to carry things in the future," Eisen nodded, giving them an affirmative look.

Indeed, Eisen didn't plan to wait until Christmas Day to send their gifts via owl post. It would seem odd to send Hermione a ring separately from Harry and Ron.

However, when Eisen noticed Hermione's flushed face as she eagerly put the ring on, he realized she might have read too much into it.

Harry and Ron, on the other hand, simply put the rings on with happy smiles, not noticing Hermione's demeanor.

"Professor Eisen, I remember the Ministry of Magic doesn't allow the personal use of the Undetectable Extension Charm to create magical devices," Ron suddenly remembered, looking at Eisen with a conflicted expression.

Hermione, who had calmed down, also wore a troubled look upon hearing this bad news.

For a studious student like Hermione, following rules was of utmost importance. Although she had become less concerned about breaking school rules after the troll incident when Harry, Ron, and Professor Eisen saved her, she still had no intention of defying the regulations set by the official Ministry of Magic.

"That's true, but if we use it discreetly, it should be fine. I don't think you'll turn yourselves in to the Ministry, will you?" Eisen shrugged and lowered his voice, as if someone were watching them.

Seeing Eisen's behavior, the trio breathed a sigh of relief, their faces once again showing delight.

"By the way, Hermione, what were you about to ask in the Great Hall earlier?" After their joyful expressions subsided, Eisen turned to Hermione.

This topic made Hermione look solemn, and Harry and Ron followed suit, as if about to discuss a confidential matter.

"Professor Eisen, do you know about Nicolas Flamel?" Hermione lowered her voice involuntarily, while Harry and Ron also looked expectant.

Ah, so that's what it was! After hearing Hermione's question, Eisen immediately realized the situation. Clearly, the trio had heard about Nicolas Flamel from Hagrid. However, they couldn't find any information about him in the library, so they wanted to ask Eisen.

Yes, that's right. Ever since Hagrid's slip of the tongue, Hermione and the others had been searching for Nicolas Flamel's name in books. Unfortunately, they couldn't find it anywhere, not even in books like "Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century" or "Notable Magical Names of Our Time."

With Christmas approaching and still no leads, Hermione decided to ask Eisen when she saw him.

"Nicolas Flamel?" Eisen feigned confusion, although he knew why they were asking about this name. However, he couldn't act as if he had anticipated everything, so he appropriately showed a puzzled expression before continuing, "Where did you hear that name? And why are you asking about him?"

Hearing Eisen's question, Harry and the others became even more excited, realizing that the professor must know about Nicolas Flamel.

"Professor Eisen, it's like this. Remember when Snape cursed Harry's broomstick during the Quidditch match..." Hermione first mentioned Snape's misdeeds, then recounted how the troll was let in by Snape to create a diversion while he tried to steal something and was bitten by the three-headed dog.

"So you think that what Snape was trying to steal was the secret between Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel?" After listening to the young wizards' deductions, Eisen couldn't help but admire their reasoning abilities. Although they had arrived at the wrong conclusion, their speculation was logical and convincing. If Eisen didn't know the truth, he might have been persuaded by their reasoning.

"Yes, Professor Eisen, so we're trying to find out who Nicolas Flamel is!" Harry was very earnest, as he saw Snape as a villain who couldn't be allowed to succeed in Hogwarts.

"You want to confront Professor Snape? That's too dangerous; you should tell Professor Dumbledore about all this!" Although Eisen knew Snape meant no harm to them, he didn't intend to reveal the truth. Instead, he suggested a more straightforward solution.

"But Dumbledore won't believe us!" Ron objected.

"He's not like you, Professor Eisen, who saw Snape curse Harry's broomstick during the Quidditch match. That's why he believes us," Hermione nodded and looked back at Eisen.

Damn, what I saw at the Quidditch match wasn't real either! Eisen cursed inwardly but had no intention of revealing the truth.

"Alright, but I can't tell you too much; it's too dangerous," Eisen decided to give them a gentle hint instead. Seeing them nod, he continued, "Harry, do you remember the first Chocolate Frog card you collected?"

"Professor Dumbledore, the first wizard card I got was Dumbledore—" Harry gasped, then looked at Hermione and Ron.

"I think I've found him!" Harry exclaimed with surprise. "I saw it on the train; the card's introduction about Professor Dumbledore said: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, his discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel!'"

After hearing Harry's words, Hermione and Ron immediately wore delighted expressions, clearly not expecting to find Nicolas Flamel's name so quickly.

"Professor Eisen—" Harry then turned to Eisen, seemingly wanting to know more.

"That's enough for now. Since you know about Nicolas Flamel, I'm sure you'll figure out everything soon. I believe you can do it!" Eisen interrupted Harry and encouraged them instead.

Truthfully, Eisen didn't directly tell them the truth for two reasons. Firstly, he believed that with the information he provided, Harry and the others could easily find out what they wanted to know. Secondly, Eisen felt that the trio's gradual discovery and growth, as in the original story, was the best way for them to develop.

(dont worry mc will have his own story to follow)