Christmas was drawing near. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts awoke to find itself blanketed in several feet of snow, the lake frozen solid under a thick sheet of ice.
Fred and George Weasley had been punished for charming snowballs to chase Professor Quirrell and smack him on the back of the head.
Albert, watching this spectacle, couldn't help but admire the twins. Deep down, he thought they were heroes—for, in a way, they had just punched Voldemort right in the face.
As the holidays approached, some classes had become increasingly unbearable—Potions class with Professor Snape, for instance. Held underground and entirely unheated, the room was so cold that students could see their breath each time they spoke. Albert found it particularly miserable when his hands and feet would go numb from the chill, and he still had to endure Snape's biting remarks—his words colder than the room itself.
"I feel sorry for them," Draco Malfoy sneered one day during Potions. "Imagine having to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas because your family doesn't want you."
Harry, however, appeared unfazed—perhaps even a little cheerful. The idea of not spending the holidays with the Dursleys thrilled him. Malfoy's mockery did little to dampen his spirits.
When Professor McGonagall had gone around collecting the names of students staying for the holidays, Harry and the Weasley brothers had signed up to remain. Harry, for obvious reasons, wanted nothing to do with his Muggle relatives, and the Weasley twins were staying because their parents were visiting Charlie in Romania.
Hermione and Albert had both decided to go home for Christmas. After all, it was their first time away from home for so long.
Well, in Albert's case, that wasn't quite true—he had spent most of his previous life imprisoned, so the concept of "home" was still new to him.
Of course, Albert and Hermione promised Harry and Ron that they would bring back gifts and looked forward to receiving theirs in return.
Despite scouring books for weeks, the group had made no progress in discovering who Nicolas Flamel was. Still, that didn't dampen their excitement for the holidays.
Ten days before Christmas, it was time for the holiday break. After breakfast, Albert slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and headed to Hogsmeade Station with the other students who were going home.
They passed through the great iron gates flanked by winged boars and walked for over ten minutes before reaching the snowy platform where the Hogwarts Express waited, its scarlet engine puffing white steam into the sky.
The train wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been at the start of term, and Albert, Hermione, and Neville soon found an empty compartment.
Albert had hoped for a quiet, relaxing ride, but Hermione promptly pulled out her homework and began writing. Not wanting to fall behind, Albert and Neville—who had been engaged in a game of Wizard's Chess—reluctantly packed up their pieces and joined her in working on their assignments.
After a full day of travel, the train finally arrived at King's Cross Station, where Neville's grandmother awaited them.
Mrs. Longbottom was sincerely grateful to Albert and Hermione for helping her grandson during the term, leaving the two of them slightly embarrassed.
After saying their goodbyes, Albert and Hermione each took a cab to their respective homes.
Before they parted, Hermione had asked Albert—repeatedly—to search his family's library for any information about Nicolas Flamel, and to contact her if he found anything.
When Albert finally arrived home and opened the door, he was greeted by a familiar voice.
"Kreacher welcomes the young master home."
To his surprise, Kreacher had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him. For the first time in a long while, Albert truly felt the warmth of home.
After dinner and before heading to bed, Albert sat with Kreacher, chatting about life at Hogwarts and what had been happening at home. Albert sensed that Kreacher often felt lonely, and he wanted to ease the old elf's solitude.
That night, Albert turned in early—riding the train all day had left him exhausted.
…
The Christmas holidays were peaceful and pleasant. Aside from the daily homework and the seven or eight-minute phone calls he shared with Hermione to discuss it, Albert was content to be back.
He spent his free time practicing spells—difficult ones like Petrificus Totalus, as well as one particularly powerful spell he had been working on since arriving at Hogwarts: the Piercing Charm he'd found in his grandfather's old book.
According to the book, this advanced charm could break through any magical barrier—whether a high-level enchantment, a hidden seal, protective magic, or even powerful spells like the Age Line that Albus Dumbledore had placed around the Goblet of Fire in the Triwizard Tournament to prevent underage students from participating.
Albert discovered that the Piercing Charm had six levels, and so far, he had only mastered the first. Determined, he set a goal for himself: to master two levels each year so that by his fourth year, he would have mastered them all.
Now, you might wonder: how did Albert manage to practice magic at home without the Ministry of Magic noticing?
In Britain, it was strictly forbidden for underage students to use magic outside school. Only students participating in school events or trips like Hogsmeade weekends were permitted to use their wands under supervision.
But Albert had found a clever workaround—he didn't use his wand at all.
The Ministry tracked all magical activity through registered wands. As long as Albert avoided using his wand, no magical alerts were triggered.
One day, while digging through the extensive family library, Albert stumbled upon a book that contained detailed information about Nicolas Flamel. He immediately arranged to meet Hermione at the local library.
During their phone call the day before, he'd told her that he had found something important.
After all, when you already know the answer, finding proof becomes much easier.
Knowing that Nicolas Flamel had been a French alchemist in the Middle Ages, Albert had focused his search on books related to alchemy—and the library, being well-organized by subject, made that search simple.
Albert wasn't unfamiliar with the name either—he had seen it in shows and books from his previous life.
Hermione arrived at the library a few minutes later, bundled in a blue coat, and took the seat across from him.
"You said you found something. How?" she asked eagerly.
"I started looking through the alchemy section in our home library," Albert explained. "It's categorized by subject, so I found this pretty easily."
He pulled out a stack of notes from his bag, flipped to a marked page, and read aloud:
Nicolas Flamel, a French alchemist from the 14th century, was believed to have created the Philosopher's Stone—a magical object capable of turning mercury into gold. According to legend, sightings of him continued until 1929. Though official records state he died in 1427, both his and his wife's graves were later found empty, fueling speculation that they had achieved immortality.
Hermione leaned forward as Albert unfolded another paper—a map of Paris.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Look here," Albert said, pointing to a circled location. "Number 51, Rue de Montmorency. This was Flamel's home. It confirms he lived in Paris during the Middle Ages."
Hermione's eyes widened. "So… the Philosopher's Stone might be hidden there?"
She lowered her voice. "Harry told me he thinks that the object Hagrid took from Gringotts—the one hidden beneath that enchanted trapdoor—might be the Stone. It fits the size… and everything else we've learned."
Albert nodded, the pieces beginning to fit together.
The mystery was deepening, and their adventure had only just begun.
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